Peace & Noise (Second Book)
by EB1793
Summary: With the hospital behind them, Aubrey and the group keep travelling further away. Aubrey thought that after everything they'd gone through, they deserved a break. But things don't get better because you want them to. (Second book)
1. Chapter 1

**We're here guys! The sequel!**

 **I was thinking about uploading once a week. If that changes I'll let you know. Don't be afraid to review and tell me what you think. With that being said, let's just jump right into it!**

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''If we don't hear from you in 20 minutes we'll come looking.'' Maggie spoke into the walkie. She glanced over at us, concern clear in her eyes. Though she didn't voice does concerns.

'' _Copy that._ '' Rick's voice echoed through the radio. After that the car went silent. No one had anything to report or reply anymore. Maggie put the walkie back with a sigh and leaned her head against the seat.

Since we were in Richmond we thought it was worth checking out Noah's old neighbourhood, hopefully his family would still be there and we wouldn't have to travel anymore. Rick, Michonne, Tyreese, Olivia and Glenn were with Noah, currently entering the area.

Maggie had wanted to come with, but Glenn convinced her to stay. He told her she could sit this one out. Now, she was worried sick for Glenn. I'd tried to cheer her up in the first hour or so, but quickly realised she wasn't really interested in that.

I was quick to decline the offer to come with. I wasn't looking for another 'adventure' at this point. Daryl stayed too. I told him he should go, because I know he was planning on it, but when he heard I wasn't going he decided to stay too. Not that he ever admitted that to me. He told me he didn't really care whether he joined the group or not.

I'd tried to convince him to go if he wanted, but wasn't really disappointed or mad when he decided to stay I didn't mind the company and seeing Maggie like this, I knew I would have been the same if it were Daryl out there.

After the hospital I hadn't really talked to anyone about it. Daryl was the only one I told, I told him almost everything that happened. I told Rick the necessary things, like why my neck was all bruised and I gave a short summary of who Beth was. Noah had done most of the talking, explaining what had happened while I was there and why he was at the hospital.

I'd expected Daryl to push himself away from me. To build up another wall, but he had been so different. After we left the hospital, Daryl seemed to be more caring then ever. He didn't openly show it, it was just the little things. He'd always seemed to be up whenever I took watch, and when we were travelling by car, he was always in the same vehicle as me. He watched over me and right now I couldn't wish for anything more.

Everything that had happened at the hospital still swam around in my mind. I mostly just ignored the feelings of guilt. Beth was just another person added to the list of dead people. I forced myself not to think about it, so far it had been working. Just barely.

I shifted in my chair, trying to find a comfortable position. My neck ached as I turned my head to lean it against the seat. I let out a breath, frustrated by the feeling.

''What's the plan?'' Daryl asked Maggie, leaning forward and placing his hand on the seat in front of him as he talked.

''We'll park on the side of the road soon,'' She said while looking in the rear view mirror, watching the others driving behind us. ''Wait for Rick and the others to call in.''

''And what do we do in the meantime?'' Gabriel spoke up from the passenger seat. Maggie shrugged her shoulders.

''Don't matter.''

''We could scout the place,'' I offered, my eyes turning towards Daryl silently asking him. He nodded his head, agreeing with my plan. ''We need the supplies.''

Not 5 minutes later, Maggie slowed down and turned into the woods. The car started to shake due to the uneven grounds. In an automated response, my hand shot out to balance myself. I had placed it on top of Daryl's shoulder for support. The unexpectedness off my actions made Daryl tense and I immediately let go of him as I felt his muscles stiffen.

I followed Daryl out of the car as Maggie stopped. Sasha and the other arrived soon after us. Carl, Judith, Abraham, Rosita and Tara stepped out of the car. As we all joined each other again, we started to discuss what to do.

''We'll need people to stay here, watch over the cars.'' I started, I looked over at Gabriel, giving him a look.

''I'll stay here with the children.'' Gabriel spoke up, understanding my silent suggestion.

''I'll stay too,'' Maggie said, she didn't explain herself but she didn't need to. Someone needed to watch over Gabriel, someone who could actually fire a gun. ''Me too.'' I said. I wasn't really feeling up for wandering around. It'd be best to stay here. For everyone.

''So the rest is coming to scout the place?'' Rosita asked. The rest nodded or spoke up with a 'yeah'. I looked over at Sasha, she was clutching her machine gun with a little more strength then necessary. I narrowed my eyes at her. I'd prefer if she stayed here, where she most likely wouldn't have to take down any walkers, or people. But I didn't feel like it was my place to speak up. She was a grown woman, she could decide for herself. When I glanced over at Maggie I noticed she had the same expression of doubt on her face.

Abraham slammed his hand down on the hood of the car. ''Let's get ready.'' He said. Everyone slowly left, grabbing their stuff out of the trunk.

I stayed behind, watching everyone. I didn't need to turn my head to know that Daryl was still there. Still, I turned my head and there he was. Standing with all his social awkwardness and anger issues. I took a step forward to him.

''I'mma be back soon.'' He mumbled. I nodded at him, giving him a small smile. I contemplated hugging him, but I knew everyone could see us if I did. I knew Daryl felt uncomfortable with the stares and I did too. So instead I just answered.

''Be safe.''

He turned around and walked away towards his car. I couldn't help but stare at him as he left.

''Although the circumstances may not be considered ideal right now, I am obliged to ask you something.'' I jumped when I heard Eugene's voice.

''Were you watching me?'' I asked, annoyed.

''I may or may not have been.'' He quickly said,

''What do you want?'' I said, a bit harsh, as I folded my arms over my chest. I couldn't help but feel a little bit uncomfortable. It seemed like Eugene could pop up anywhere, at any moment. I swear to god, I'd rather have a walker sneak up behind me than Eugene.

''Are you into an amorous relationship with Mr. Dixon?'' He spoke, his voice as monotone as ever. My heart skipped a beat at his question and flared with anger at the same time.

''The fuck you want to know for?'' I told him, careful not to raise my voice. Eugene seemed shocked by the sudden change of behaviour, but he collected himself and answered me.

''Just examining the situation.''

''Well how about you go examine another situation.'' I took a step forwards, almost grabbing him by his collar. But I refrained myself, not wanting to draw any attention over to us.

I pushed him away from me and he stumbled backwards, visibly swallowing before he spoke again.

''Very well.'' He turned away and walked over to the car where his backpack was.

Almost an hour had gone by and I had talked to Maggie for a while, before returning to the car. I had opened the door and was sitting in one of the seats, getting comfortable. I was glancing around the group, looking for anything unusual. Suddenly there was rustling coming from my right and I turned towards the woods, just in time to see Eugene dissapear in between the trees.

What the hell? What was Eugene doing?

Eugene wasn't really able to take care of himself. He had never killed a walker, never killed an animal, didn't know how to track or find a way back if he was lost. He was practically helpless, so why would he even go out there?

You know what, I don't care. He's not my responsibility. He is a grown man, a very intelligent person. He does these things at his own risk. But, I was the only one who saw it. I shouldn't make this into a big deal. I'll just catch up to him and drag him back.

''Dammit.'' I cursed out loud and quickly grabbed a sniper from the trunk. I checked for my handgun and my machete and when I found that everything was still there and no one was looking, I followed Eugene.

I know that Eugene already had a head start, but Eugene wasn't the quickest person I knew and I believed I could easily catch up on him. It also helped that Daryl had taught me a few tricks for tracking.

Eugene left clear tracks for me to follow. But, those weren't the only tracks I found. Walkers, a few of them. It seems like the tracks were recent. Which meant walkers must be close by. While driving here I noticed there had been quite a few stragglers. More than I'd like. But it didn't seem like a problem at the time, we could have handled them. But Eugene on his own, wouldn't be able to.

It didn't take me more than 3 minutes to catch up with Eugene. Fortunately, it seemed like he hadn't come across anyone, or anything, else. He was blood free, didn't cry yet or shook with fear. Okay, except the last one. He was definitely scared. His hands were clutching his knife as if it was the last one on earth and every few seconds he led out a huge breath, trying to calm himself down.

Instead of coming up to him and asking him what he was going to do, I stayed back. This was his moment to prove to himself he wasn't a coward, I wasn't going to take that away from him.

I remember my first walker kill. I saved Sarah because of that. It was all instinct, instinct Eugene didn't seem to have yet. Maybe, in another world, I would gladly trade his knowledge with my instinct, but today I was happy to have it.

I learned how to kill walkers because I had a family to look after, I forced myself to do it. With time, it just got easier. I learned that Eugene had found Abraham and he had done all the necessities for him.

Something rustled on Eugene's right side and he let out a girly whimper and jumped backwards, bumping in against a tree, which scared him again. I let out a soft chuckle as I watched him. I was sure he was going to pee himself any moment, but he let out one of those big breaths again and continued his journey, while I kept hidden beneath the trees and bushes.

After another minute I realised that I had completely forgotten to grab my backpack. I silently cursed to myself and smacked myself against the head. How could I be so stupid. If we got lost we wouldn't have any food or water, or a map. No matches, no batteries, no flashlight.

'We'll get back, we won't get lost' I told myself inside my head. It's going to be okay. I can't do anything about it now.

After another 20 minutes of walking, we finally arrived at the thing Eugene was probably looking for. It was a camping shop.

He knew about a camping shop? And he didn't even tell anyone? I thought about coming forward now, so that he wouldn't have to go in alone. But before I knew it he already entered the place with so much determination that I was scared he was going to trip and ruin his moment.

I quickly followed him, not even caring if he saw me or not. What idiotic person just stepped right into a store without checking for walkers.

Swiftly opening the door, I cringed as I heard the bell above it tingling, signalling that there was a customer. Eugene turned around and his eyes went wide as he saw me.

''What-''

''Are you suicidal?'' I whispered angrily at him. He apparently didn't understand my frustration because he began babbling and mumbling all different kinds of sentences.

''I don't-what are you-how-''

''You don't enter a store witho-'' The familiar groan stopped me and I was instantly alarmed. The first walker crawled its way across the floor, with one an upper body. I didn't even want to know where his lower body half was.

I let out a frustrated sound before grabbing my machete and walking over to the living body that was on its way to us. Eugene was frozen in fear, looking at the walker.

''Do you want to get it?'' I said sarcastically, knowing he wouldn't. He shook his head, like I expected him to, and grabbed his little knife to push it closer to him.

I violently swung my machete at the walkers head and watched in satisfaction as it stopped moving. When I pulled the blade back it made a disgusting sound en I saw Eugene flinch in the corner of my eye.

''And that's why you don't just enter a store, or any building, without checking.'' I lectured, pointing the machete up at him. He glanced down at it, watching the dark blood drip down on the ground.

I sighed and put the machete down again.

''Why are you even here?'' I asked him as I crouched down to clean the machete with the dead walkers clothes. I searched him real quick, trying to find anything useful. The only thing I found was a bullet, which I happily put in my pocket.

''I have the right to ask you the same matter. Why are you here?'' He stuttered, he took a step closer to me, feeling more confident now that the threat was gone.

''I am here to make sure you didn't do anything stupid and got yourself killed. And I partially succeeded.''

''Well, you can go now. I believe I no longer acquire you here.'' He told me. I turned around to face him, narrowing my eyes at him. I prevented him from being attacked by a walker, I was only here to help him and he had the nerve to tell me to leave.

''Look here scientist,'' I said, knowing that it would annoy him.

''I told you, I'm not a scientist.'' He corrected me and I smirked to myself, knowing that it had worked.

''I came here voluntary. I wasn't planning on interfering with you, but you just _had_ to do something stupid.'' I took three steps forward, so that we were really close. I could feel his breath on my face, but I decided to ignore it. This only added to the intimidation that I wanted him to feel. ''And I believe you are going to do it again, so I'm staying.''

After staring at him for a few more seconds, seeing what I wanted to see, I stepped back and crossed my arms.

''So, why are you here?'' I asked him again, since he never really answered my question. While I was waiting for him to speak up and say something, I started to walk around the store. Cautious for more walkers, or maybe even people, and looking for anything useful left.

''I-I lived here for awhile.'' He says. I turned around, surprised. He never told us where he used to live, he never really told us anything about his past. ''And I know that I am of no value to the group, so if I brought back supplies-''

''We'd appreciate you more.'' I finished for him. I placed one hand on my hip, I got his point. It was stupid, but I kind of understood. The need to prove yourself. Like I had to prove it, to my family, the group and myself.

I sighed, rubbing my hand against my face. ''Fine.'' my voice was muffled by my hand, but I think he understood.

''Let's go then.''

After about an hour we'd finally collected everything that was even close to useful. We had found a sleeping bag, 2 flashlights a compass and a pair of new boots that seemed about right for Daryl. Rick would probably fit them too, but he just can't separate from those horrible cowboy boots, he told me he's been wearing them ever since the apocalypse and is a bit attached to them. I'd say it's more obsessive, but you know, who am I to tell him that?

Eugene and I were both sitting on the ground and leaning on the wall opposite from each other. I was eating an apple. I offered Eugene something, but he took one look at the walker on the ground and politely declined. As long as he doesn't faint from lack of food, it's his choice.

''You don't want to go back?'' I asked him after swallowing a bite.

He shrugged, and because I had no idea what he meant I shrugged back, sarcastically. ''I think we should go back,'' I told him, lifting myself up off the ground. My muscles ached when I did so and I rolled my shoulders to relieve some of the tension.

He mumbled something under his breath, but stood up anyway. I raised an eyebrow at him, but decided not to say anything. To be honest, I couldn't be bothered at the moment. He just had to get out of here, on his own, and get himself into danger.

I started walking, not even looking back to see if he was following me. I could hear his steps loud and clear anyway.

As I walked I could his constant shuffling when he realised he was slowing down and ran to catch up. I held my gun in my hand, pointing it at the ground and walking with a steady, fast pace.

''Au-Aubrey'' I heard Eugene behind me and I swiftly turned around, gun immediately raised. I lowered it once I saw it was a walker who was chasing Eugene. While putting my gun in its holster I swiftly pulled out my machete and stalked over to the walker.

With a swift wave of my arm, the walker's skull was split. I heard a groan behind me and tried to turn around, but my machete was stuck in the walker's skull.

''Shit.'' I said, I put my foot against the walkers chest, pushing it away from me. It finally loosened, making a disgusting sound. Because of the rapid chance in balance I tumbled backwards, straight against the other walker behind me.

I let out a yelp as I fell on the ground along with the walker. Turning around as soon as I could, I put an arm against the walkers neck to keep it from biting mine off. I stretched my hand out, reaching for my machete but it was too far away.

''Eugene!'' I yelled at him and I looked up for a second to see him against a tree, clutching his knife in fear. At this point panic started to set in. There was no possible way to reach my machete, so I did the only thing I could think of at the moment.

I pushed the walker as far away from me as possible, crawling backwards in the process. I fumbled for my gun as it immediately started its way back to me. I cocked my gun and shot the walker in the face.

Blood splattered against my face and I closed my eyes and mouth to prevent any infection. When I opened them I looked down at the dead body in front of me. My heart was beating and my hair was sticking against my forehead from the sweat.

With my hands on my knees I balanced myself and took a few deep breaths, trying to wipe away the blood on my face but only smudging it across it.

''Great, just fucking great.'' I mumbled and just as I turned around to yell at Eugene I heard another sound.

'Please don't be another walker...' I thought to myself as I raised my gun, but I quickly realised the sound moved to fast to be a walker. Within seconds, Daryl appeared through the trees and a moment of relief washed over me.

I quickly let my gun hand by my side and rushed over to him. Engulfing him in a hug, I let out a sigh.

''Aubrey, ya alright?'' He asked, grabbing my face and checking it.

''I'm fine.'' I told him. After a few seconds of looking in my eye and glancing behind my shoulder at the dead walker he nodded.

''We need ta get back, It's Tyreese.''


	2. Chapter 2

**I just really wanted to thanks everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed. You guys absolutely mean the world to me. I never thought anyone would actually like it. So just thanks for being there, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter**

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 **3 weeks later...**

I groaned and kicked the bones in frustration. No luck, again. I left the carcass, without a second glance and sighed deeply, running my hand along my face as I tried to stay calm and not lash out or cry.

After Tyreese had died, everything had started going downhill. Sasha completely lost it, she refused to speak to anyone, didn't show any emotion, was reckless, and barely ate anything. Not that any of us had been eating very well. We didn't have any food left. The only thing we still had was two bottles of water. None of us had eaten a meal in two days, yeah we'd tried to eat some leaves, Daryl would eat worms, but I wasn't that desperate. Yet.

I shuffled through the woods, trying to find the road again so I could get back to the rest of the group. Hopefully, Daryl had found a squirrel, or at least some footprints.

I could use the meal, we all could. Because of my staggering walk, I tripped over branches and stones a few times. Trying to find my balance and not fall face first into the ground was harder then I thought.

As I placed my hand on a tree to steady myself, I looked up, my fingers brushing the trunk. I thought about climbing it, trying to find a house or some kind of shelter. But the thought alone made my muscles ace. Maybe if I asked Daryl for help, or maybe Carl, he was younger, he'd be a lot faster then any of us would be.

After maybe ten minutes, I found the road again. In the distance I could already see the familiar white van that had run out of fuel yesterday. And right now, fuel was a bit hard to find.

I reached Olivia and sat down next to her. She was lying on the ground, taking deep and slow breaths. Sweat had already formed on top of her head and she was constantly wiping it away with a frustrated sigh.

I let myself fall next to her, relaxing as I looked up at the blue sky which showed no sign of rain soon.

''Remember when we met each other, after everything?'' I spoke up. Putting my arms behind my head.

''Yeah, you had the kid.'' Liv grinned, nodding at Judith who was playing with a leave she had found on the ground.

''Right,'' I chuckled, glancing at the little girl. ''And the people robbed us so we had no supplies left.'' Liv pushed herself up on her elbows, looking at me. Her short hair, which was slowly growing, was hanging in front of her face, coated in sweat. She had long since given up on it and just let her hair be whatever it wanted to be.

''Those assholes,'' She mumbled, ''Kinda reminds you of this moment doesn't it?'' Liv guessed my thoughts.

''Yeah, but we found food. Just like we'll find food today.'' I told her. I knew Liv tended to be a pessimist since the world ended, so I tried to make her glass half-full whenever I could. I felt like she needed these moments.

''You sure?'' She questioned, tilting her head slight and moving her hand just above her eyes to shield herself from the sun.

''I know it.'' I grinned up at her, slowly sitting up and ignoring the ache in my muscles. I was lying to her. Of course I wasn't sure if we'd find food, but I couldn't lose hope right now. I didn't want to.

I looked over to my right, seeing Daryl, Maggie and Michonne walking over to us with defeated looks on their face. Which made my face fall too.

''They didn't find anything.'' Olivia commented besides me.

''Guess not.'' I told her. Olivia groaned softly and threw her arm over her eyes.

When the group of three had almost reached us we saw they had attracted some attention from nearby walkers.

''Guys,'' Sasha said, pointing at the 3 walkers that were following us. Sasha had already pulled out her knife when Rick stopped her.

''Now's not the time, we should save our strength.'' He directed, glaring at Sasha, wondering if she would listen. After a few seconds, she sighed and placed the knife back in her belt. I exchanged a concerning look with Rick before we continued walking, sadly having to leave the comfort of the van behind.

I saw Olivia walking next to Rosita and Tara, softly discussing things with each other.

I was walking next to Daryl, both not saying a thing. It was just too tiring and I doubted if I could even think of a conversation starter to begin with.

Noah was walking next to me, eyes focused on the road in front of him. It seemed like he was thinking about something, Tyreese's dead really shocked him. I knew he was fond of Tyreese, they used to talk a lot. Tyreese got bit by Noah's twin brother, so I knew Noah blamed himself. I knew I should say something, tell him it was going to be okay. That it wasn't his fault. But I couldn't, I wasn't good at this. I didn't know what to say.

After a few hours, we still didn't find anything. This was the thing that I hated the most about the US, there can be miles upon miles without any civilisation in sight.

When I was younger I always said I'd move to England. It was smaller and I had always found the voices funny. I had put hours and hours in perfecting my accent. My mom just told me that I'd miss them too much. Guess she was right about that, because I never went. There had been occasional holiday's to the country, but I never found a real reason to stay there.

I guess I was just too focused on my work, on my family, my mom.

My fingers grasped the ring on my necklace. I knew it wasn't the most practical thing in the world and that it kept me from 'moving on' as people would say. But I didn't want to let go of it. To be honest I was surprised that I still had it. I expected I'd lose it within the first week of having it.

The fact that I didn't just wanted me to hold onto it even more.

The ring had gotten dirtier over the months and by now there were specks of blood, dirt and God knows what, on it.

I looked up when Daryl suddenly spoke up,

''I'm gonna head out'' He said, handing me his rifle ''See what I can find.'' I took the rifle hesitantly.

''You want me to come with?'' I offered, and he just shrugged so I took it as a 'yes'. I gave Daryl's rifle to Noah and took my machete out of my belt. Daryl readjusted his crossbow and we both walked away from the group and into the dry forest.

The leaves and branches crunched underneath me as we moved as gracious as possible, while it didn't work out that well with me, you couldn't hear Daryl at all. His years of experience and training gave him such an advantage. Even though Daryl told me I was fine at hunting, I still couldn't help but envy his talent in it.

I was so distracted by my own thoughts that I didn't even notice Daryl had stopped and I bumped right into him. His balance shifted forwards a bit, be he quickly recovered and I gave him an apologetic look. Before walking around him to see what had gotten his attention.

In front of us lay a deer, a dead one. It had clearly been dead for a while, the bones were already visible and it was undoubtedly not edible. Daryl grumbled something under his breath and kicked the dead deer, as if it would help him.

He was scanning the surroundings and it seemed like we both saw the same thing at the same time. There was a walker leaning against a tree, well I actually think it was just a dead body, never came back. From the looks of it, it seemed like the person had committed suicide.

I started to walk over to it, Daryl following close behind and ready to attack if necessary. I crouched down in front of it, observing it. I couldn't possibly tell how old this person had been, besides that it had probably been an adult. There was a clear gunshot wound to the head, if this person had done it himself the gun had already been stolen.

Even though I knew it was probably hopeless I still searched its pockets, hoping to find anything. The only thing I found was a driver's license and a few dollars. I guess some people couldn't let go of the past.

It wasn't unusual to find driver's license and passports in walkers pockets. Sometimes it was because of the fact that they had died in the early days of the apocalypse and sometimes people just wanted to hold onto that little thing that kept them human.

I subconsciously reached for my necklace and lightly touched it before lifting myself off the ground. I grabbed Daryl's arm for help and felt my muscles ache as I tried to get up as smoothly as possible. God, I felt like an elderly woman.

''Let's go back, ' other's are probably waitin' for us.'' He said softly grabbing me by my arm and trying to direct me in the right direction.

''Yeah, you're probably right.'' I told him and Daryl already turned to walk away but I quickly placed my hand on his upper arm to stop him.

''Hey Daryl,'' He slowly turned around and I quickly stepped on my toes to give him a quick peck on the lips. ''We're gonna be alright.'' I told him and this time, I meant it.

We heard the shouting even before we reached the road. Daryl and I shared a quick look with each other before we started to sprint in the direction of the sound. The adrenaline took over and everything seemed to blur out. I didn't know how long it took us to reach the road again, but when we did I immediately jumped back as a walker lunged at me.

Within seconds there was an arrow in the walker's head and I looked over to Daryl to give him a quick smile and thanks. He pulled the arrow out while I quickly figured out what was up with the group. It seemed like they had decided to take on the walkers after all.

Olivia, Rick, Michonne, Abraham, Sasha and Abraham were viciously trying to fend of walkers while the other were staying back.

Daryl and I were quick to join them. Daryl ran over to Rick to help him with a walker that was getting a bit too close while I went over to Michonne.

When I walker tried to attack her from behind I was quick to stab him in the head. Michonne swiftly turned around, surprised by my presence. She gave me a nod before slicing another head off of a walker.

I wasn't really watching the other's but when I heard Sasha shout out in rage I couldn't help but look up. Sasha lunged at a walker, cutting Abraham in the process. Michonne and I shared a look with each other as our alarm bells started to ring.

We both went over to her, I was there first and I grabbed her arm from behind. She whipped around, her first instinct to stab me since she probably thought I was a walker. Her arm swung towards me and I stumbled to the ground in shock, barely missing her knife. Michonne was quick to push Sasha aside, and killing another walker.

It seemed as if that was one of the last ones. I heard a few walkers groaning but all of that quickly ended.

''I told you to stop.'' Michonne told Sasha, clearly pissed off. I got up on my feet, standing next to Michonne. The tension was high as Sasha pulled herself up and stared at us with a look that could kill. She gripped her knife tightly in her hand and for a second I was scared she was going to attack Michonne.

I placed my hand on my handgun, just in case. Sasha's eyes snapped over to my hand, she looked furious, which only made my hand clench more around my holster. After a few seconds of just standing there, panting, like all of us were, she shook her head and walked off.

''Everything alright here?'' Rick asked after Sasha had walked over to the rest of the group.

Michonne and I both nodded a bit unsure, glancing at Sasha as she viciously put the knife back in her holster.

''I hope so,'' I mumbled as we all started to walk in the direction of the others. Daryl walked besides me, placing his hand on my lower back. We shared a quick look with each other.

I wondered what Daryl was thinking. Not only right now, but in general. He was so hard to read. Whenever I thought I finally understood him, he does something completely different. Its what makes Daryl, Daryl. But it also confuses me. Sometimes he just had this pondering look, that made me want to be a mind-reader. Know his thoughts, his opinions.

It wasn't long before we were all walking again. It felt like with every step we took, we were actually walking backwards, as if there'd be no ending.

I reached for Daryl's hand as we walked, at least we were all together.

After a few hours, we finally decided to take a break. I let myself fall down on the ground, on my belly and placed my face onto the kinda cool grass. My arms were spread beside me as I grasped the dry ground with my hands. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes as I heard the other chuckle lightly.

Olivia plopped down next to me.

''Tired?'' She asked rhetorically with a small grin on her face. I just lightly groaned at her in form of an answer, not feeling like speaking actual words.

When I opened my eyes I saw that everyone else had settled down too, slowly relaxing. Tara was also sitting next to me. And I decided to go sit op straight, so that the rest could have a little bit more space.

I leaned against a tree behind me as I closed my eyes, almost falling asleep when..

''So all you guys found was booze?'' Tara suddenly spoke up and I opened my eyes to see Abraham drinking a bottle of whiskey.

''Yep,'' Rosita confirmed a hint of annoyance in her voice as she looked at Abraham. We all knew it was going to be a bad idea, it was probably the worst he could do right now. But we didn't say anything, since no one wanted to fight with him.

''It's not gonna make it better.'' Tara sighed.

''He knows that.'' Rosita mumbled, fumbling with her fingers.

''It's gonna make it worse.'' Tara said, I think it was directed at Abraham but he was too busy focusing on his whiskey to care.

''It is.'' Rosita sighed.

''He is a grown man,'' Eugene spoke up, staring at the ground. ''And I truly do not know if things can get worse.''

''They always can.'' I spoke up, trying to be a little optimistic. It was hard trying to be positive in this situation. I noticed that everyone was slowly accepting the situation and just hoping for the best, since we couldn't really do anything right now. I just hoped it wouldn't go further than this, I didn't want people to give up and when I looked at Eugene I saw he was damn close to doing just that.

Maggie was sitting next to Glenn, her arms around her knees and her head leaning on them. Glenn had an arm placed around her and was looking at her with concern. Gabriel was sitting next to Eugene, also looking devastated. Abraham was silently enjoying his bottle of alcohol and Rick was clearly thinking about something big. Daryl was staring at the ground, biting his nails. I noticed it had started to become a habit.

When ruffling was heard in the bushes everyone was on alert and it wasn't long before three dogs appeared on the road. They looked aggressive and some of them even had some blood around their mouths.

They were growling loudly at us, ready to attack. Everyone had grabbed their knives or guns, but no one really moved, not wanting to surprise them. The dogs were just standing there, growling at us. None of us did anything, we were staring at each other. Scared that one wrong movement, could be the end of us. If one of us got bit, they could bleed out, the wound could get infected. That'd be the death of them.

The dogs growled loudly and barked when they suddenly sprinted forwards, but before any of us could do anything Sasha shot the animals. Their whines gave me shivers as they fell down on the ground, when we looked over at Sasha she had a raging look in her eyes.

I frowned at her, unsure what to think of this situation. We had food, but.. They were dogs. Rick stood up and grabbed a few branches, breaking them so we could use it for the dogs.

The next 20 minutes were hard to get through as Daryl gutted to animals and cut the meat up for us to eat. I saw Noah visibly getting sick as he tried to hold down whatever was left in his stomach.

When the food was finally done, I ate it as quick as possible, trying not to think about anything as I ate. I wasn't a prude about eating since the apocalypse, but a dog was new for me. And I didn't like the feeling. Noah barely ate anything at all while some of us were just silently staring at the fire while eating.

I was sitting next to Noah, who was staring at the dog collar laying on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood. I rubbed his shoulder in a comforting way, or at least I tried to. I wasn't the best at comforting people when needed. I couldn't calm people down, I mostly just reasoned with them and hoped for the best. I wasn't a people person like Maggie or Tara.

''It just.. doesn't feel right.'' He told me.

''You'll get used to it,'' I told him, also looking at the collar, ''You won't even taste anything later.''

''I wasn't talking about that.'' He told me. I frowned at him, giving him a look that told him to explain.

''Tyreese,'' He started and subconsciously pressed my lips together, not really wanting to think about him. ''He tried to save me and now I'm here and he's not.'' I noticed his hands were slightly shaking, but he was good at hiding it as he pressed them down on his knee.

''I don't know if I'm gonna make it.'' He told me honestly and my heart skipped a beat at his words.

''Then you won't.'' Sasha suddenly spoke up. She had been walking by and probably heard her brother's name. Sasha's voice was harsh as she glared at Noah.

I don't know what was wrong with me at that moment, but anger just flared within me as I caught sight of Noah's broken look. He really didn't know if he was going to make it and then she says these kind of things. Who does she think she is? She doesn't get a free pass to say whatever she wants. I jumped up, at least as quick as I could without falling.

''What the fuck is wrong with you?'' I spoke up, a bit louder then intended. ''Why do you insist on saying the worst possible thing you can?'' I could only glare at her as she did the same to me. We were standing really close and my hand was itching to punch her. My hand unconsciously clenched into a fist. She wasn't thinking straight. I know that's why she said those things, but a part of me just didn't care.

''Because it's the truth!'' She yelled at me, I could feel her breath hitting me face as she spoke and her eyes filled with panic and anger. ''He's not going to make it! You're not going to make it! None of us is.'' At those words she pushed me back and I instantly placed my hand in front of my face as she took her first swing, hitting my arm instead of my face.

Rick and the others were quick to stop us, but not before I delivered a blow to her face. She lunged at me and at that moment Rick stepped in between us, keeping Sasha away from me and Daryl stood behind me, one arm across my stomach and the other on my shoulder, so I would stay put.

I didn't want to fight her, so I didn't try to move away from him. The punch I delivered was just because she needed one. And because she punched me. I folded my arms over each other and watched as she tried to fight against Rick's hold at first, her eyes glaring at me. But after a while she just broke down, sobbing. My heart broke at the sight of her. I just tried to fight a woman who was clearly broken. That was pathetic.

Rick gave me a look that said he wasn't sure what to do. Luckily Maggie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Sasha, comforting her as I just took a few steps back, feeling guilty.

''Sorry,'' I mumbled to no one in particular.

''Let's just go.'' Rick said, grabbing his gun of the floor and placing it in his holster.

* * *

 **I know Daryl and Maggie are extremely upset in the show. But since they didn't really know Beth, these things change. Certain things I change will (of course) affect the characters.**

 **If you have any questions, ask me :). I'll answer them in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Shoutout to my best friend who *finally* created an account on here. Olivia is kind of based on her.**

 **Anyways, enjoy! :)**

* * *

We all stared at the little piece of paper carefully placed on top of the bottles. Bottles that were actually filled with water. It was extremely tempting not just to dive right to it and drink all of it. I licked my dry lips, averting my eyes as I tried to stop imagining it.

Daryl, who had gone scouting, appeared from the bushes and Rick walked over to him, handing the piece of paper that said: 'From a friend'. His eyes glanced down at the pile of water bottles before re-reading the note.

Daryl crumbled the paper in his hand and grabbed his crossbow, his walls were up instantly and I couldn't help but agree with him. This had been our reaction too.

''What are we gonna do?'' Tara questioned as Daryl was still circling us, looking for anything unusual.

"Not this." Rick simply implied. It was obvious that he had no idea what to do either. Just the fact that we were being watched wasn't the most pleasant discovery for all of us and that was easily seen on Rick's face.

"If it's a trap then we already happen to be in it. But I, for one, would like to think it is indeed from a friend." And with those words Eugene stepped forward, grabbing a water bottle with the full intention of gulping it down.

All of us took a step forwards to stop him, but Abraham was there before us and smacked the bottle out of Eugene's hand.

Water splashed all over them and on the ground. I watched it as it already started to evaporate. What if the water was perfectly fine? Then we just wasted another bottle, but we couldn't put one of our own on the line. If we do that, then who knows what we will become.

I thought back to Gareth and his group, and the Governor.

"We can't" Rick told Eugene.

"We don't sacrifice our own." I spoke up, looking straight at Eugene. He looked down in shame, avoiding all of our gazes.

We all stared at the water bottles on the floor. Secretly hoping for a miracle right now. Maybe the person who did this would show themselves, or maybe not. Maybe we should just keep walking, but none of us really wanted to do that. We didn't know how long we had left, this could be the last time to come across water.

I rubbed my hand across my face with a sigh. When I looked around the group, I saw that they were all thinking the same. We wanted to know if the water was safe, but not by sacrificing one of us.

We all looked up in surprise when we heard the rumbling of thunder. Above us, the sky had turned gray and slowly but surely water drops fell from the clouds and onto the dry ground. I started to chuckle as I felt the first droplets of rain against my skin.

In only a few seconds it had begun to pour and all of us were getting soaked. Tara and Rosita started laughing and laying down on the ground. Maggie and Glenn hugged each other as they wiped their faces, to get the water off. Rick and Michonne also gave each other a look and Gabriel was praying or thanking the lord.

I couldn't believe it. Just as everyone had started to give up. There were no words for the relief that flooded my body and knowing we were going to live, for now. That was all I needed to know for now. I hugged Olivia tightly before letting her go. She slowly sank down to the ground, next to Tara and Rosita.

I looked over at Daryl, his eyes were closed and he looked like he was just enjoying the moment right there and then. At that moment he opened his eyes to look at me and I gave him a smile. My heart skipped a beat as he returned the favor, I walked over to him and without a warning planted my lips on his. At first he was surprised but that quickly vanished as I felt his lips move against mine. I smiled against him and I threw my arms around his neck.

When we broke apart, he leaned his forehead against mine. Everyone was too busy with their own triumph to notice. Not that it mattered anyway. I was examining Daryl's eyes, that seemed too blue to be real. This was it.

We were gonna live.

''Everyone, grab the bags. Anything you can find.'' Rick's voice pulled me out of the moment and I quickly threw my bag of my shoulder, searching for anything to catch the rain in. I saw Michonne dumping the water out of the bottles that had been given to us by a friend as we started to fill everything up.

The sound of thunder and a flash of lightening almost made me flinch. We all looked over to see the thunder coming closer to us. With all the excitement of finally having water, I totally forgot about the thunder. I guess we all did.

''We should keep moving.'' Rick said, still looking at the thunder that was, hopefully, miles away. Daryl looked over at Rick, his gaze swiftly flickering to me and back to Rick again.

''There's a barn!'' He yelled, trying to be heard above the sound of thunder.

''Where?''

* * *

We all burst into the barn, running away from the rain. I was absolutely soaked through and when I looked at the rest I saw they were too. I pushed a strand of wet hair away from my face and took my time observing the shed as the rest of the group rushed past me, securing the place.

The barn was old, everything was made of wood and hay was scattered across the ground. Random objects were placed in the building, there was a tire, a box of tools which could come in handy and to my left there was a stack of books.

While everyone searched for anything dangerous or out of place, I crouched down besides the pile and picked the book that was on top. ' _Holy Bible_ ', not too interesting. I placed it next to me and grabbed another one.

The book was clearly very old. The cover looked used and the pages had already turned yellow. I was facing the back of the book so I couldn't see the title I slowly turned it around, slightly smiling when I saw the title.

' _Jane Eyre_ '. I had promised myself, a long long time ago, that I would read this book. Sadly I never really got the chance. I guess I do now. I threw my bag of my shoulder and opened it.

I didn't have a lot of room left, but it'll have to do. I placed the book in my backpack, closing it properly so it wouldn't fall out.

Maggie was standing on my left, leaning against the door frame that led to a poorly made room. The room was made from wood, like the rest of the barn, except there were several holes in the walls. I guess it was made right after the apocalypse, making it a safe room or something.

I stood up and looked over Maggie's shoulder to see what she was looking at. There was a walker in front of her, which she had already taken care off. She was staring at it with her arms folded, a little sad.

''I wonder what she was doing here.'' Maggie asked, placing her knife back in her holster.

''Same as us, I think.'' When I looked past the body I saw a shotgun and I walked past her to grab it.

''Too bad it didn't work out for her.'' She mumbled. I wanted to object, but it was true. It didn't work out for her. Maggie just made everything sound so.. hopeless.

''Yeah,'' I hesitantly agreed, ''Not everyone has as much luck as we do.'' I told her, checking the barrel of the shotgun, while glancing at her.

When she didn't say anything I spoke up again. ''Let's get back to the others.''

That night we all sat by the campfire, warming up. I had made an attempt at reading Jane Eyre, but the fire was too low for that. I didn't have enough light and I wasn't going to waste my flashlight batteries for that. So I was half-listening to Rick and what he was saying.

''When I was a kid I asked my grandpa once if he ever killed any Germans in the war. He wouldn't answer. He said that was grown-up stuff, so so I asked if the Germans ever tried to kill him.'' There was a slight pause as he thought back to that moment, remembering his grandfather. ''But he got real quiet.'' I sat up a bit straighter, actually interested in Rick's story.

''He said he was dead the minute he stepped into enemy territory. Every day he woke up and told himself,' Rest in peace, Now get up and go to war.' And then after a few years of pretending he was dead, he made it out alive.''

''That's the trick of it, I think. We do what we need to do and then we get to live. But no matter what we find in DC, I know we'll be okay. Because this is how we survive-'' I looked around the group a little bit. None of them revealing their thoughts.

''We tell ourselves that we are the walking dead.'' Some of the group glanced up at Rick, while other looked away. None of us really knew how to feel about this. It felt wrong, but I couldn't deny that there was some truth into what he was saying. There was a small moment of silence before Daryl stood up, defensive.

''We ain't them.'' He said, first looking at Rick but then his eyes turned to mine.

''We ain't them.'' He repeated, as he finished his eyes flashed back to Rick.

''Hey,'' Rick spoke, raising a hand up as if to say he understood, ''We're not.''

Daryl just shook his head, mumbling the same words again before turning around and walking away. I stood up, stumbling a bit, before following him.

He was standing across from the doors, pacing in circles.

''Daryl,'' I half-whispered. ''Hey, hey,'' I said grabbing his arm and turning him around so he was facing me.

''We ain't them, Aubrey. We ain't.'' My hand went to his face, cupping it gently, so he could focus on me instead.

''You're right, We're not them. You know why?'' I question, I grabbed his hand, placing it on my heart, feeling Daryl's hand on my chest made my heart skip a beat and I hoped he didn't notice.

''Because we're still alive. Our hearts are still beating.'' I usually wasn't very good with this stuff but I think I did it right this time because Daryl let out a sigh and leaned his forehead against mine.

''We're still here.'' I repeated. Daryl slowly leaned forwards, closing the distance between us. The moment out lips were supposed to touch, Daryl suddenly pulled away very fast. He was gone in an instant and before I even had the time to process it, he was at the doors.

I turned my head to see what was going on and saw Daryl looking through the small crack of the two doors, before forcefully shutting it, leaning his whole body weight against it.

I rushed over to him, doing the same thing. I already knew what was going on, I didn't need to ask. Walkers. And by the look on Daryl's face, there were a lot of them.

I grunted as I felt the force of the dead bodies against the weak doors.

''Daryl.'' I said and he turned his head to look at me. I quickly leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips, who knew if this would be the last one.

As more walkers came pounding against the door, more of our group started to notice it too. One by one everyone came leaning against the door, trying to keep the walkers at bay. I mean they hadn't seen anything, so they couldn't have possibly know that we were in here. I hoped.

I closed my eyes as my back was pressed against the doors, desperately trying to keep them closed. We weren't going to die this way, I was sure of it. As my eyes were closed I imagined all the things I wanted for _us_. We were going to find a place to live, Daryl and I would get our own room, maybe even our own house, we would get old together, Carl and Judith would grow old, get kids, grand-kids.

Rick would be a grandfather, a cute old grandpa, telling all kind of stories to his grandchildren. Olivia would find someone to love, maybe she'd get kids too. I would get a dog, I've always wanted to try and have a dog. Maggie and Glenn would get a real wedding, Noah would find a doctor that could permanently fix his leg.

Sasha would slowly get better, find peace and be with friends. We wouldn't have to fight anymore, we'd get a calm boring life. We'd worry about the stupid things like, if we had enough candy for Carl and Judith and about the fact we didn't have enough books anymore because I'd read them all.

 _We ain't them,_ I repeated inside my head.

 _We ain't them._

* * *

I woke up before anyone else did. Daryl had passed out beside me, his arm placed around my waist. I placed my hand on the side of his face for a few seconds, admiring him. He finally looked peaceful when he was sleeping. The worry had left his face and there was nothing but calmness in his features.

I slowly stood, up making sure not to wake him.

I reached inside my bag, grabbing my book and opening the doors to go outside.

It was a mess. Trees had fallen over, walkers were splattered in every direction possible and branches, parts of trees and several other things that weren't here before, were scattered on the ground, making it a bit harder to move around.

I walked for a solid 5 minutes before I found a nice place to sit. The view was absolutely beautiful, I had no idea we were so high up. The sun had started to rise, making it light enough for me to read.

I opened my book and started to read where I left off. Completely entering another world.

When I was a little kid I absolutely adored books, I read every night. I also lost a lot of sleep because of that. Whenever it was summer break, we wouldn't have enough books so I'd practically live in the library, devouring book after book. Teresa inherited the reading from me, I used to show her my favourite books. But when she got a little older and she asked again, I had no recommendation for her anymore.

School had been taking up more of my time and after I entered college there was simply no time anymore for free reading. The only reading I did was from my schoolbooks and the assignments I had to do. I always told myself I could read after college, I mean a job didn't take up all of your time right? Well I was so wrong.

''Hello,'' I suddenly heard on my right. I dropped my book immediately, it splattered on the ground into the mud, and drew my gun, pointing it at the man that had appearedd in front of me.

''Not one step closer.'' I demanded. He put his hands in the air, signalling he meant no harm.

''Hello,'' He repeated, ''I'm Aaron. Can I speak to the man in charge? Rick, right?'' I clenched my hand around the gun at the mention of Rick.

''Who are you?''

''I come bearing good news.''


	4. Chapter 4

I scoffed at his words.

''Good news? Sorry to say I'm a little 'sceptic' about that.'' I told him, observing him for the first time.

He had curly light brown hair that had been cut short. He didn't have any stubble whatsoever, which suggested he came from a safe place. He didn't necessarily seem like he was going to do hurt me, but that didn't stop me from being cautious.

''I understand that.'' He said, his hands still raised in the air and a good few feet away from me, although he did take a step forward. But it didn't look threatening.

''We have a community and we're looking for people to take in. People like you.'' I didn't really know how to answer to that. A community. A place to live. After tonight it almost seemed to good to be true.

''We'd like you all to 'audition-''

''You can stop right there.'' I told him, waving my hand to signal him so he'd stop talking. I wasn't going to keep listening to him without the group. What if he wasn't alone? What if I'd suddenly have a gun pressed against my skull.

I walked over to him and softly grabbed him by the collar. Not enough for it to hurt, but strong enough so he'd know running away wasn't an option.

''Do you have any weapons on you?'' He nodded at my words and pointed at his belt. I saw a small pistol and swiftly grabbed it, before he had any chance of using it. ''That's it?'' I asked and he nodded again. My eyes traveled up and down really quickly to see if he wasn't hiding anything and when I saw nothing I started pulling him with me, towards the barn.

''Let's go.''

When we arrived at the shed I slowly opened the door a little bit so I could stick my head out. Everyone was silent, most of them lost in their own heads.

''Guys?'' I spoke up. Everyone's heads turned over to me, eyebrows raised and full of suspicion.

''Don't freak out but-,'' I opened the door a little more and pulled Aaron along with me so we stepped into barn. ''This is Aaron''

Everyone's guns cocked immediately and within seconds they were all pointed towards the man next to me. Daryl almost ran forwards searching the man forcefully before shutting the door behind me.

''You okay?'' He asked me, placing a hand gently on my neck. I nodded at him before turning to the rest of the group.

''He was alone, as far as I know. I took his weapon.'' I said handing the small pistol to Rick. He examined the weapon quickly before putting it in his pants.

Aaron looked extremely uncomfortable, probably not expecting this much caution from our group. I kind of wanted to defend him, since he hadn't done anything bad so far. But I also didn't trust him myself, I guess I only trusted him a bit more then the group.

''He has a community nearby and wants us to-'' I stopped for a few seconds, cringing a bit as I said the words. ''Audition.'' I saw the rest of the group frown at his choice of words, or my choice of words.

''I wish there was another word for it. Audition makes it seem like we are some sort of dance troupe.'' He started rambling, and I put my head in my hands trying to refrain myself from sighing. ''That's only on Friday nights.'' I think that was an attempt at a joke. I hoped so.

''Anyways, in the front pocket of my bag is an envelope.'' He said as Daryl, almost ripped, the bag from his back and handed it over to Rick. ''There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community, so that's why I brought those. I apologize in advance for the picture quality. We just found an old camera store last-''

''Nobody gives a shit.'' Daryl interrupted him and I shot him a look, which he didn't see. Being rude wasn't going to help anyone. Aaron looked behind him at Daryl and awkwardly nodded, agreeing with him.

''The first picture is one of our walls, because nothing I say about our community will matter unless you know you'll be safe. If you join us you will be.''

''Each panel in that wall is a 15-foot-high, 12-foot-wide slab of solid steel framed by cold-rolled steel beams and square tubing. Nothing alive or dead gets through that without our say-so.'' He was rambling again by now, and this time nobody stopped him, but I bet none of us were really listening either. I was watching the reactions of the rest of the group, wanting to see what they thought of the situation.

''Like I said, security is obviously important. In fact, there's only one resource more critical to our community's survival. The people. Together we're strong. You can make us even stronger.'' I saw Rick exchange a glance with Michonne, who seemed quite okay about this whole idea.

Aaron was still rambling while Rick started walking forwards. '' The next picture, you'll see inside the gates. Our community was first construc-'' Aaron stopped talking by a hard punch in the jaw. Aaron's head snapped towards the right, towards me and he fell down on the ground, unconscious.

''Rick!'' I yelled at him, a bit astonished that he'd just done that. Daryl and Maggie, who were closest to Aaron, knelt down to check up on him.

''Tie him up.'' Rick ordered us, but I refused to cooperate at this point. I crossed my arms over each other and watched as Maggie and Daryl tied him up. I looked at Olivia, who had said nothing so far. She was just staring at Aaron, frowning. I wondered what she was thinking. She was still very hard for me to figure out sometimes. I think she even thought that about herself.

Michonne turned to Rick, ''That look wasn't a 'let's attack that man' look. It was a 'he seems like an okay guy to me' look.'' She stated, also a bit pissed off at what had just happened.

Rick just completely ignored what Michonne had just said, giving orders to everyone. He wanted to check Aaron's bag, he made Glenn and Abraham look outside for places to hide. I shared a look with Michonne, this wasn't going the way we both had expected it to.

''We need eyes in every direction, they're coming for us.'' He said, turning around to face everyone.

''Rick,'' I spoke up, ''I was alone out there, if he wanted to hurt me he could have. I didn't see him.'' This time Rick did listen to me, he turned so he was facing me.

''You shouldn't be out there alone.'' He scolded me.

''He's right.'' Daryl interfered from where Aaron was. I turned over to him.

''That's not the point.'' I just said, not wanting him to get involved in this. It would only end up in us fighting, and everything was finally working out at the moment.

''Rick maybe-'' I started talking again, but a groan behind me snapped everyone's attention over to the man laying on the ground.

''That's a hell of a right cross there, Rick.'' Aaron laughed. He actually laughed. That was- unusual.

''Sit him up.'' Rick ordered and I gave him an annoyed look as I pulled Aaron up a bit, so he could sit. Aaron opened his mouth to speak but Rick beat him to it, probably not really wanting more rambling.

''How many of your people are out there? You have a flare gun. You have it to signal your people. How many of them are there?'' He said waving with the flare gun.

''Does it matter? No matter what I say, you're not going to trust me.'' He shrugged his shoulder and I had to give him that one. He was right about that.

''Well, it's hard to trust anyone who smiles after getting punched in the face.'' Olivia spoke up, she had been crouched down watching him. But now she stood up, glaring down at him. I guess she was with Rick on this one.

''How about a guy who leaves bottles of water for you in the road?'' Even though no one said anything after that, a tense silence came over us. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who felt extremely uncomfortable after what he had just said.

''How long you people been following us?'' Daryl spoke up, taking a daring step forwards.

''Long enough to see that you practically ignore a pack of roamers on your trail. Long enough to see that despite a lack of food and water, you never turned on each other.'' He stopped talking and glanced over to me, and then to Sasha. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. He had seen everything.

I took a step towards him, daring him to say anything else. My eyes narrowed slightly as I glared at him. He realised his mistake and glanced down at the ground.

''Sorry,'' He apologised, before continuing. ''You're survivors and you're people. Like I said, and I hope you won't punch me for saying it again, that is the most important resource in the world.'' He continued.

''How many other are out there?'' He said, acting like he ignored everything the man had just said. But I knew Rick, he was taking everything into account. The wheels were turning in his head, every option or situation was displaying in his mind.

''One.'' Aaron said. One look at Rick's face and we all knew he didn't believe him. I had some trouble believing him too.

''I knew you wouldn't believe me.'' Aaron stated, ''If it's not words, if it's not pictures, what would it take to convince you that this is for real? What if I drove you to the community? All of you? We leave now, we'll get there by lunch.''

''I'm not sure how the 16 of us are going to fit in the car you and your one friend drove down here in.''

''We drove separately.'' Aaron explained, ''If we found a group, we wanted to be able to bring them all home. There's enough room for all of us.''

I looked at Daryl, who was glancing from me to Aaron, also trying to figure out if he was saying the truth.

''I'll check out the cars.'' Michonne spoke up after a long silence.

''There aren't any cars.'' Rick objected, as if he knew it for sure.

''There's only one way to find out.'' Michonne retorted.

''We don't need to find out.''

''We do.'' As Michonne and Rick bickered with each other, I looked over at Aaron who was silently watching them, probably hoping they'd check out the cars and decide not to kill him. ''You know what you know and you're sure of it, but I'm not.'' Michonne said.

''Your way is dangerous, mine isn't.''

''Passing up someplace where we can live? Where Judith can live? That's pretty dangerous.'' That silenced Rick. He glanced over at Carl, who was holding Judith and sighed.

''Abraham.'' He said, Abraham looked over at Rick and nodded quickly, agreeing to join Michonne. Glenn joined too, just like Rosita, Olivia and Maggie.

''If you're not back in 60 minutes we'll come looking. Which might be just what they want.'' Michonne visibly rolled her eyes at Rick's remark and left with her group, searching for the cars.

''I've got the area covered.'' Daryl said giving me a look, asking me to go with him. I nodded at him, grabbing my machete and gun.

''All right, groups of two, find somewhere safe within eye shot.'' I gave a firm nod towards Rick, who nodded back as everyone left the barn. I quickly turned around and jogged a bit to keep up with Daryl, who had already started walking.

''You ready?'' I asked, which was a stupid question, but I didn't really know what else to say.

Daryl just nodded, ''Yeah,''

* * *

It had been an hour later when we'd all returned to the infamous barn. Everything checked out, they had found two vehicles. An old car and a camper, stocked with supplies that could last us a month. They didn't find the other person though. I guess he had hidden when they saw Michonne and the rest, which seemed logical.

After a short debate, Michonne had cut the knot and decided we were all going. Everyone had agreed with it, some with a bit more hesitation then others.

Except Rick refused to drive unless it was dark and we were taking another route then Aaron was planning on driving. Which I was fine with, we still couldn't fully trust Aaron and who knows how the rest of the community will be. So when it was finally night, we packed up our stuff and left.

Glenn, Michonne, Olivia and Rick were taking Aaron with them in the car, they were up front and we were directly behind them in the camper.

I was sitting on one of the benches, Daryl sitting beside me. I felt the strong urge to lean against him and just fall asleep right there, but I knew that anything could happen every second. Plus, I wasn't sure if the other knew. Well I guess they knew, since I kissed him yesterday in front of everybody and I calmed him down after he freaked out. But still, nobody actually knew it officially.

Abraham was driving behind the wheels, Rosita sitting next to him. Noah was sitting in the far back, where the bed was, along with Carl and Judith. Tara was there too with Gabriel. Eugene was here sitting on the opposite side of us next to Sasha. Maggie was leaning over the seat, to talk to Rosita.

''I'll go check up on the kids.'' I told everyone, but mostly Daryl, as I left the bench and went over to the back, wobbling a bit as I tried to hold my balance.

''Hey.'' I said, shoving the curtain aside and looking at everyone. ''Is everything okay in here?'' They were passing a can off food to each other, each taking a bite before giving it to the other. My stomach grumbled as I thought about the food and I reminded myself to also grab something when I got back.

''Yeah, we're good.'' Tara said, ''How long is it gonna take?''

''I think about an hour? At the most?'' I questioned, shrugging my shoulders a bit, since I had no idea how far it was.

''Maybe we-'' Carl never got to finish that sentence, Abraham cursed and before we knew it the RV turned to the right, to another route. The turn made me grab the curtain and a quick motion, trying to hold on to anything, so that I wouldn't fall over.

I hit my head and shoulders against the walls, which sure was going to bruise, but overall I was fine. I was more worried about what had just happened.

''What's going on!'' I yelled, climbing back. I saw Daryl helping Maggie up, since she had fallen.

''Walkers, a shitload of them.'' Abraham yelled back.

''Where are the others?'' Panic rose in my voice as I thought of the other driving into them.

''They went right into the herd.'' Maggie said, as nervous as me.

''We need to do something! We can't just leave them there.'' I demanded, Maggie agreed with me but the rest thoughts differently.

''That's a suicide mission.'' Rosita told me, ''They're in a car, things could have been worse.''

''Glenn's in there!'' Maggie snapped back.

''And what if Glenn survives, but you die because you wanted to save him?'' Rosita retorted back. ''That'll be very heroic.'' I crossed my arms over each other, knowing she was right, but I didn't like it.

We all stopped what we were doing, when we saw a huge flare go up in the air, next to a water tower.

''That's where they'll be.'' Rosita mumbled, ordering Abraham to follow the flare.

There were a few walkers on the road, that Abraham had to swiftly avoid, making me sit back on the bench again, holding onto the table in the middle.

My hands clenched around the table, trying to think about anything else then what could be happening with Olivia and the rest right now. I swear to god if she dies I will kill god himself. My heart was pounding in my chest as the water tower came closer and closer.

Suddenly Abraham hit the breaks, making us all fly forwards.

''What is it?'' Rosita asked Abraham worryingly.

''There's someone under that car.'' He said and within a second we all rushed forwards, trying to see what Abraham was talking about.

He was right. There were about ten walkers surrounding him and he was trying to get out of reach, but you could clearly see he wasn't going to last forever. I checked the ammo in my gun and if I had my machete.

''Let's go.'' I said, ramming the door open. Daryl, Maggie and Abraham were all quick to follow me as I came charging towards the walkers. The first walker didn't even see me coming and I swung my machete at his head, splitting it in two. I cringed at the sickening crunch it made as I pulled back. Wasting no time at watching the walker collapse, I went for the second one. At this point, several walkers had noticed the commotion and started stumbling towards us, most of them forgetting about the man under the car.

I pulled my machete back so I could take a proper swing at the walker in front of me when it suddenly collapsed, an arrow in its head. I dropped my arm, turning around to look at Daryl. I gave him a look.

''I wanted that one.'' I pouted, all he did was smirk at me. Which earned him a playful glare. I saw an opening to the car, which I quickly took, the playful mood forgotten.

The man still had two walkers hanging around him, trying to sink their teeth into him. I was quick to take the first one down, but the other was already crawling under the car. I reached for it's feet, trying to drag him from under the car.

With one quick pull the walker appeared from under the car. I stumbled backwards by the sudden shift of balance, falling right on my butt. The walkers started crawling towards me and I leaned forward, balancing myself on my knees before taking a swing at the walker. The walker's movements ceased as my machete planted itself in its head. I pulled back, panting a bit.

''Are you okay?'' I yelled crawling over to the car.

''Y-Yeah.'' A shaking voice replied. I pressed myself against the concrete, trying to find whoever was lying underneath the car, trusting the group to have my back so that I wouldn't get eaten.

''Give me your hand, I'll pull you out.'' I said, extending my hand out towards him.

''I can't.'' He spoke up, ''My foot-'' He didn't have to say anything else. I looked over to his feet and noticed his left ankle was stuck under a car tire. Great, just what we needed.

I stood back up, opening the car door and climbing in the passengers seat. Lucky me, the keys were still in the ignition. I turned to keys, trying to get the car to start. Nothing was heard as I attempted to start the car. It was dead. So, we needed to go to plan B. I would need some help so I could move the car. I stepped outside again.

I looked around, trying to see if anyone could help. But more and more walkers were gathering around them, and getting closer to our car. We had attracted the attention from other walkers, apparently those on route 16. Nobody really had the time to go and help, they had their hands full.

I was going to do this by myself.

''You're gonna be fine.'' I told the man underneath the car, not fully believing it myself. ''Can I push the car forward? I won't hit you?''

''You're going to push the car on your own?'' He said, obviously worried.

''Can I?'' I repeated a little more urgent, ignoring his statement. We didn't have any time for that. There was a small silence and I was contemplating if he was alright.

''yeah,'' he said, barely audible. I took this as my que and started to push the car.

I had left the door open so now I only needed to push it forwards, but not too much because otherwise I'd tramp him. I kept my hand close to the hand break, in case the car would keep rolling.

''One, two, three.'' I whispered to myself and started to put all my weight onto it. These three weeks with minimum water and food hadn't really given me any advantage. I could feel my muscles shake as I tried to push the car. Within seconds I was panting, already out of breath.

The car wasn't moving. One more time. I told myself and this time I tried to put even more strength into it.

I almost stopped to do a little dance when I felt the car move slightly. The man's agonizing screams filled my head as I rolled the car off of his ankle. I shivered as I imagined the pain he must be feeling. When I knew I had moved the car enough I swiftly pulled on the hand break, making it stop. I shut the driver's door and crouched down.

The man was sweating and panting from the pain, but furthermore he seemed fine. I walked around the vehicle and grabbed the man under his elbows, pulling him away from the car and towards the RV.

I was only about two meters further when a walker appeared and I had to drop the man instantly. The man shielded his head as he fell to the ground in surprise. I tried to fumble for my machete, but the corpse had surprised me and I didn't have enough time to grab it. A shriek left me as he let his weight fall on mine, making me fall to the ground. I placed my arm on it's neck, keeping the teeth at bay. My other hand went for my machete, but before I even reached it, a shot rang out.

It seemed as if everything stopped for that moment. The shouting and fighting ceased as the walker on me collapsed and I let it fall on me, catching my breath.

I looked over to my left and saw that the man had his gun raised, still aimed at the walker in front of me.

''Thanks.'' I mouthed as I let my head rest against the concrete for a second, before pushing the walker off of me and grabbing the man again, this time hauling him up so he could stand on his one good feet. My clothes were covered in the walkers blood and I tried not to gag at the smell of it.

''We gotta go!'' I heard Daryl yell at the other and everyone bolted for the RV, getting away from the walkers. The man and I were the last ones to enter and even before the door closed the vehicle sped off, leaving the corpses behind.

I dropped to the ground next to the man beside me, leaning against the cupboards of the camper.

''Aubrey,'' I introduced, extending my hand out to him for the second time that night.

''Eric.'' He told me, shaking my hand.


	5. Chapter 5

An hour had passed before the rest of the group arrived. It was a relief when they showed up. Daryl kept telling me that they would be fine, but I could see that he wasn't so sure of that himself. Hugs were exchanged when they showed up, I scolded them a bit, but it was more of a joke.

Eric was going to be fine. His ankle needed to heal for quite a while, so he couldn't go on any more adventures, but furthermore he would be fine. Luckily for him he car didn't completely shatter his ankle, it was fixable.

Apparently, Aaron and Eric were together. Which was a total surprise to all of us. I think Rick felt extremely awkward as he walked in on them kissing. We had convinced Rick to let Aaron sleep in the same room as us tonight, so he wouldn't be separated from Eric. After a bit of pushing Rick had finally agreed, but I don't think he slept that night.

The next morning we'd gotten up early, preparing for the fact that we were going to an actual community. Michonne had told a little bit about it to me. She said that Aaron had his own home with Eric. As in, a whole house to himself. He hadn't told a lot about the people that lived there, except that they had a great doctor and an architect. They basically had every career living in there.

I hadn't really talked to Daryl about all of this. I was wondering what his thoughts were on the big move. That was the disadvantage of having such a large group, or family, we rarely ever got a moment alone. He was very quiet about it, I mean Daryl was always quiet with these things. He trusted the judgement of the group and thought about what was best for the group, leaving his own feelings out of it.

When the RV slowly came to a stop in front of a very large gate, I squeezed Daryl's hand under the table for a small moment, keeping my eyes locked in front of me as I saw Rick and Michonne step out of the car in front of the RV.

The rest of us followed their example, stepping out of the vehicle and slowly walking towards the gate.

Aaron was helping Eric, who had some trouble standing, towards the entrance. Children could softly be heard playing and shouting at each other inside the walls, it was merely a background noise, but it made me uncomfortable. Teresa's face flashed through my mind and I thought about all the things I would have done to make sure she would be here, living safely inside these walls.

Walking towards the community gave me a sense of uncertainty. You never knew what was behind these walls and once you were inside, we would have to force our way out if things got bad. Terminus had been a great example of that. I was already looking for any place where we could run to in case things got bad, because so far we hadn't had a lot of luck with sanctuaries and communities.

All of us jumped as we heard a noise on the left of us. Guns were cocking, knifes and machete's were drawn just as the gates opened. Daryl was the first who noticed what the sound was and instantly released his arrow. The opossum made a shrieking sound as the weapon impaled his belly, killing it almost instantly. I placed my machete back in my belt, sighing a bit from the relief of it not being anything worse.

When I looked up I saw the gate was now open and there was a man staring at us, completely shocked. I frowned a bit, wondering what we had done wrong. I mean, yeah we were a bit jumpy, but who wasn't at this point?

''We brought dinner.'' Daryl spoke up, staring at the man.

''It's okay,'' Aaron said, to whom I didn't know. But the man stepped back, signalling for us to come in. We all hesitantly stepped forward, walking inside the community.

When the last one had passed the gates, which was Abraham, they were closed again. Locking us in.

''Before we take this further,'' The man spoke up, ''I need you all to turn in your weapons.''

I didn't really want to, not feeling to comfortable with it. When I looked over at Rick, I saw his shoulders were tense, also not really wanting to turn in his weapons.

''It's fine Nicolas,'' Aaron said, naming the man Nicolas. ''Let them talk to Deanna first.''

''Who's Deanna.'' Abraham, almost shouted, from the back.

''She knows everything you'd wanna know about this place.'' He told us, looking at the group for a second before turning to Rick. ''Rick why don't you start?''

Rick nodded his approval and he gave Judith for Carl to hold, before we all walked over to where this Deanna was supposed to be. We didn't really feel comfortable by leaving him alone in there, in case they were planning to separate us. So we all waited outside the house, one by one to go in there and talk.

We were all just silently sitting there, none of us really talking. None of us felt comfortable enough to say anything, we were still on alert. Olivia was pacing in front of us, clearly nervous. When Rick finally came out of the house he called Carl, saying he was the next one.

After Carl was done, we figured it was safe enough for now and Rick and Carl were being led by the two houses that would apparently be 'ours'. After Carl it was Daryl's turn, then Glenn's , Maggie's, Michonne's en then it was my turn. I asked Daryl to wait for me until I was done and then I walked inside.

Deanna was sitting on the couch as I arrived in the living-room. I was at awe, the house was huge. Everything looked as if the apocalypse had never even happened, there wasn't a speck of dust or blood on the walls and it seemed like the furniture was frequently used.

''Hello, come in.'' Deanna snapped me out of my thoughts. ''You're welcome to sit.'' She said.

I looked at the chair in the middle of a large bookcase and saw that there was a camera pointed at it.

''Do you mind if I film this conversation? Since we're all about transparency here.'' Deanna was a small woman who looked to be in her late 50's. She had auburn hair that seemed a little dry or was just full of hairspray and she had a nice smile.

I noticed her clothes were spotless, just like everything else around here. It made me feel inadequate.

''Ehm, go ahead.'' I said, walking over to the chair, but not sitting on it. It felt too 'on the spot'. I decided to, instead, walk over to the bookcase, looking at all the different books I still wanted to read, but thought I'd never get a chance to. I was still carrying my bag, which contained the Jane Eyre book I had brought with me.

''I'm Deanna Monroe.'' She fully introduced herself. I turned around, away from the books and gave her a small smile. ''Aubrey Hamilton.'' I said, feeling a bit weird about actually saying my surname out loud.

''How long have you been out there?'' She asked neutrally.

''A while.'' I said, walking over to the window and looking out of it. There was this church tower painted white and I wondered if it was outside the community or inside.

''Did you know each other before?''

''I knew Olivia from before,'' I explained. ''We lost each other in the beginning, but found each other by accident.''

''I guess it was fate.'' She said, smiling at me again. Her smile made me a bit nervous, as if she was trying to hide something from me. I ignored her statement, not sure if I really believed in fate. I mean there were times I did think 'fate' existed. When I found the group back at Terminus for example, or when Daryl found me in the prison when I was locked up in a cell. But then there were times where I believed that if there was fate, it really hated me. When I met the Governor or when Beth was killed.

''Tell me something about your leader, Rick.'' I stopped looking outside, instead turned over to look at her. I was trying to figure her out, what her play was. What did she want from us? This place was safe, no one had to been through the horrors of what was out there. So, why?

''Rick saved my life.'' I said, ''When he found me, he could have easily killed me. I expected him to, maybe I even hoped he would.'' I admitted, ''But he spared me, he saved my lived a dozen of times and he kept this group together, he still does.'' Her face didn't show what she was thinking. She had a very neutral face, but she was smiling.

''Do you want to be here Aubrey?'' She asked me and even though I wasn't saying anything I fell into silence. I stopped with whatever I was doing and crossed my arms over each other.

''I-I don't know.'' I answered honestly, feeling a little bit attacked by the question. ''Judith and Carl deserve a proper place to live, everyone outside does.'' I stopped for a few seconds ''It's tough out there, the world outside these walls are different then what you might expect.'' I stopped talking for a second, catching my breath before continuing.

''I envy you. All of you, for never having to go through that. But I wonder if we can come back from all of that.'' I didn't know why I suddenly talked so much, maybe it was because I finally could say this to someone who was generally interested, or because I felt like I could help these people by giving them the information about what was really going on out there.

''If I were you, I don't know if I would let other people in.'' I admitted, hoping I wasn't blowing this conversation. ''People from out there can be dangerous.''

She was quiet for a moment, thinking about what I had just said. Then she spoke again.

''Are you dangerous?'' Her question made me press my lips together. Were we? The obvious answer was yes, but if I gave her that I might change her mind into bringing the group here.

''We are, to everyone who is a threat.'' Her face was thoughtful for a second, before the next question rolled out of her mouth.

''What did you do before all of this happened?'' Her question completely threw me off guard, she was changing the subject without hesitation or any emotion on her face.

''I-What?'' Was the only proper word that could come out of my mouth right now.

''Who were you before all of this?'' She rephrased her sentence. I sighed, turning back to the books again, I almost stroked one trying to focus on anything else.

''I was nobody.'' I mumbled, ''I was just a boring citizen.''

After that she asked a couple question about the group, all which I reluctantly answered. She complemented me for answering all her questions and my cooperation before she asked me to go and get Abraham.

Walking outside was nice. To feel the sun on my skin without being dehydrated. I felt like I had my part of my energy back again, I was ready to fight. Except we didn't have to fight, not anymore.

As Daryl and I walked to the house both of us were unusually silent. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was noticeable. I was looking around me, people were walking their dogs. They had actual dogs here, I always wanted a dog, maybe if I was lucky I could get a puppy. I hoped the rest would be okay with that, I mean a dog was a responsibility and if things would turn bad-

Things won't turn bad. Everything is going to turn out okay. I focused on my environment again. I had already seen a few old couples walking around and also a few children, both of which were very rare to see.

When we arrived at the house everyone who had already done the 'audition' was already there. We opened the door inside the house and the first thing I noticed was Rick. He had shaved, his hair was completely gone. I always wondered if he was ever going to shave it, things were starting to live in there. He had also had haircut, but that wasn't as noticeable as his shaven face. Rick told me Carl was checking out the other house, because apparently we got two houses.

I took my time looking at the house we were currently in. It looked very impressive from the outside, not something I used to be able afford, but now here I was. The inside was already furnished with what looked like very expensive furniture. Almost everything here was white or beige. The house was, just like Deanna's, completely spotless. I wasn't going to lie, it made me a little uncomfortable. This wasn't really my style, never has been and probably never will be.

But I wasn't going to complain about a roof over my head, a large roof over my head.

Michonne appeared from the bathroom a huge smile on her face.

''How long was I in there?'' She asked

''20 minutes.'' Rick said, amused.

''God I could not stop brushing.''

''They have toothbrushes?'' I asked, surprised. I don't know why I was so shocked at tht fact, it wasn't really weird if you thought about it. I guess I just wasn't used to it anymore.

''And showers.'' Michonne added and my eyes widened slightly.

''I call dibs.'' I said to everyone while rushing over to the bathroom before anyone could interrupt me. I shut the door and quickly locked it, making sure nobody could come in.

I almost gasped as I looked at the room. There was an actual bathroom, with an actual working shower. And the room was clean, not like all the disgusting bathrooms I had been in since everything went down.

All of this was so overwhelming, I didn't know how to act or what to think.

I turned on the shower and quickly undressed, watching as steam filled the room. I let out a sigh as I stepped under the warm water, feeling it fall on my back and shoulders.

I looked down, watching the dirt, leftover blood and anything else that was stuck there for almost three weeks, wash away. It was satisfying to see, to finally be clean again.

I thought of how much my mom would have loved this place. She would have fit right in, along with all the other people that had no idea how to survive. Teresa would have liked it too, she always talked about how she was going to live in these kind of neighbourhoods, how her kids were going to be the best ever. My dad tried so hard to make that dream come true, saving up money for her to go to college. I guess it was all for nothing.

My mood had turned really quickly and now I just felt sad and angry.

If I had just kept them save for a little longer, they would have been here. I would have seen Teresa grow into this beautiful woman. She would have been best friends with Carl, he really reminded me of her.

I slid down on the ground, closing my eyes and letting the water hit my face.

The memory of Teresa playing with her dolls flashed through my mind and I smiled. She freaking loved those stupid dolls of her. They were really creepy, with those big eyes and fake smiles, but she loved them. She'd dress them, brush their hair and have tea-time with them. She was always a bit childish, a lot of kids her age had already moved onto other toys, like race cars and game boys. But not her, she refused to leave her little girls.

I placed my head in between my knees, letting a few tears leave me eyes. _You can grief, for a few moments. After the moment is over, you have to live again. Don't dwell._ I told myself. I took a few deep breaths and pulled myself up. Moment over.

After shampooing my hair three times and washing my body four times, I turned off the water and got ready to put on my clothes again. My fingertips were all wrinkled because of the time I spent inside the shower, but I was clean and I felt fresh again.

Eventually I stepped out of the bathroom, fully clothes of course, and was met with almost everyone there. Olivia jumped up from the windowsill.

''I call dibs!'' She yelled before running over to the bathroom.

* * *

We had decided to sleep in the same house tonight, staying together. On the ground we had thrown jackets and blankets so we could sleep on them. We had given Carl the couch, since he was the youngest, besides from Judith but she had gotten her own crib.

Every one of us jumped when there was a knock at the door. All of us standing up at once and instinctively reaching for our weapons. None of us would get used to that soon.

Rick walked over and opened the door, inviting Deanna in, who of course commented on Rick's face.

''I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt, I just thought I'd see how all of you are settling-'' That's when she looked at everyone in the room, noticing we were all here. ''Oh my- sticking together. Smart'' She said with a small smile on her face.

''No one said we couldn't'' Rick commented, his hand was placed on the door frame, signalling he'd rather have Deanna out of there, but he was too polite to say it.

''You said you're a family, that's what you said.'' She said, ''Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and nothing in common can become that.''

''Everyone said you gave them jobs.'' Rick said. That was true, she had offered me a place to join the supply runners. I said I'd think about it. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, I don't think I could keep staying inside the walls, that'd drive me crazy, but I also wasn't sure if I wanted to get out there so quickly. ''Well, you didn't give me one.'' Rick stated.

''I have, I just haven't told you yet.'' She said, smiling again. ''Same with Michonne.'' She nodded at Michonne. ''I'm closing in on something for Sasha and I'm just trying to figure Mr. Dixon out.''

Daryl stared out the window. He hid it well, but you could see he wasn't very fond of being called Mr. Dixon. He was biting on his thumb, thinking about something.

Deanna left after that. Leaving us all to sleep, which we did.

I tossed and turned that night, not being able to sleep very well. Even though I was lying on the ground, it was too comfortable. It felt too luxurious, as if something was off. Halfway through the night I noticed Rick was up too, but I let him. I thought he might want some time to think, so I closed my eyes and tried to sleep again.

Which didn't really work out well.

* * *

 **Yeey they're finally in Alexandria. Okay so I absolutely hated this chapter, the next one is a bit better. But I'm just not the biggest fan of the remaining season 5. Fortunate for me, I'm currently writing season 6 and already close to writing the 7th season. So bear with me please.**

 **Also, would you like me to actually answer reviews? Because I think that would be really fun, but I just wanted to know you guys opinion.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Another chapter! I think you're gonna find this one very... Interesting.**

* * *

It was around 5 when everyone started to wake up. I was sitting by the window, looking outside. Daryl had already been up for an hour, feeling just as restless as me. He was sitting next to me now, but when he woke up he almost threw a fit. He had wanted to go outside Alexandria, leave for an hour and come back to clear his head, but I thought it wasn't the best idea. Not right now, not when everything was new.

I knew Daryl felt caged inside here, he didn't like the civilization and the 'normal' air that was hanging around here. The same feeling had crept up on me, it was too orderly. We had to use the time again, it felt weird. I had woken up around 3 and couldn't sleep since then. I was thinking about the people here. They were ignorant, acting as if nothing had happened. They were weak. I knew it, Daryl knew it, we all did.

So when five o'clock finally rolled around I couldn't wait to get out of this house. I'd asked Daryl if he wanted to join me, but he declined, not eager to discover the community. So I brought Liv with me, feeling like we needed to catch up anyway.

We were walking through the neighbourhood. It was nice watching the children play with each other, owners walking their dog, elders chatting with each other on the porch. They were all extremely nice to us. Almost every person we came across greeted us politely and didn't linger. It was glad we were being accepted and not looked at like we were outsiders, which we were. But it was also strange, living this ordinary live, like we were living in a TV-show.

''What do you think of this place?'' Liv asked me, her eyes directed towards two children that were driving around on their bike.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I thought about her question. I liked the people, they were nice. The community seemed safe, as long as everything would be organised. But it didn't feel like me. I never really enjoyed big houses and extra large bedrooms. I always thought it would be easier to keep it simple. To not over complicate things. At Alexandria I felt like I had to put up a facade, show them what they wanted me to be.

And I knew I wasn't the only one who felt this way.

''It has potential.'' I answered hesitantly, ''We need this. I just hope it works out.'' I added, explaining myself, staring down at my old used shoes.

''What are your thoughts on the place?'' I asked her, looking over at her.

''It's alright.'' She mumbled, ''The people are weak though. They know nothing about this.'' She said, referring to living outside. I nodded at her words, agreeing with her.

''But we can teach them, I know we can.'' I reassured her.

I knew we could teach them. I learned how to survive, through the worst way possible, so now we could teach them in a better way. We could teach them how to look out for themselves, how to look out for each other.

''Hmm.'' Liv halfheartedly agreed. It wasn't very surprising Liv had her doubts, she had a hard time trusting anyone after all. I was also scared she would have a hard time fitting in, even more so than the others. But who knows, maybe she'd surprise me.

''What do you think?'' I questioned her, looking at the children playing soccer ''If somebody can teach them it's you.''

I waited for an answer, but when I didn't get one I looked up.

Suddenly, Liv turned right, slipping in between two houses. She motioned for me to follow her as she disappeared between the bushes.

''Oh for Christ sake.'' I softly cursed. I checked my surroundings, making sure no one had seen Liv slipping away, before following her. The bushes scratched my skin lightly, making me wince a bit. My eyes were trained on Olivia, hoping she wouldn't do anything stupid.

We walking in between the gap of the 2 houses. While following Liv, I wondered what the actual fuck I was doing. I could have stopped her, asked her where she was going. But since I was me, I didn't.

Liv walked until we reached the walls surrounding the community. She looked around her for a second, to see if no one had spotted and followed us, before she pulled out some kind of pin. She started to climb the wall, using the pin.

''W-What do you think you're doing?'' I asked her, but of course I knew what she was doing. It was pretty obvious. Why, that's what I didn't know.

''This place is suffocating me, let's take a walk.'' She commented, panting a bit as she hauled herself up. ''I saw some girl do the same thing earlier and thought I'd try it.'' I placed a hand against my face and sighed. Of course.

With another sigh, I reached up and started to climb to wall, following her. To be honest, I liked the idea of going out, I just wish Daryl was here too because I knew he wanted to get out of this hell hole too.

''You know-'' I said, holding my breath as I hauled myself up. ''We can just go through the gates.''

''Where's the fun in that?'' She said, disappearing behind the wall.

Right. Where's the fun in that.

* * *

We had been walking for half an hour now. We weren't doing anything in particular, we were just wandering around. I had been asked for her thoughts about this place and somehow we ended up talking about the first time we met after everything hit.

''You know, when you went over to Terminus I thought about knocking you out to stop you from going.'' She admitted and I raised my eyebrow at her, curious.

''It was a stupid plan.'' She mumbled, trying to explain herself a bit. I rolled my eyes at her.

''They're my family, you would have done the same for yours.'' I waited for an answer or any kind of reaction, but after a few second she hadn't made any sound yet. I lifted my head up to look at her. She was staring at the ground the relaxed face she'd had when we were walking around had disappeared. Her brows were furrowed and her eyes stood fierce, full of hatred. Her mouth was pressed together in a thin line. She seemed the have forgotten I was here, or that's what it looked like. A few strands of hair fell in front of her face, but she didn't even notice.

''Liv?'' I asked her. She was so lost in her thoughts, she wasn't here anymore.

''Liv?'' I said again, still no reaction. So instead of calling her again I gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

Her hand shot out to her holster, pulling her gun out in an instant. She turned and pointed the weapon towards the threat, which in this case was me. Her eyes looked directly at me though I didn't think she saw me. I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled it over my head just as the gun went off. I flinched away as the gunshot could be heard above me. My ears rang from the volume of the shot.

When my eyes snapped back to Olivia she seemed dazed, pulled back to reality. Her gaze went to me and back to the gun that was still in her hand. She seemed to go back and forth for a second before it occurred to her what had just happened.

''Oh my god.'' She whispered releasing the gun in her hand and watching it drop to the floor. She crumbled to the ground next to it, falling down on her knees. I followed her, slowly crouching down as Olivia broke down.

As soon as the first tear left her, the rest followed. Within second she was full on crying. Her breaths were gaspy and she tried to get enough air and her face had turned red.

I didn't know what to do. She had just tried to kill me, well she hadn't tried to kill _me_. She thought I was someone else I guess. I scooted closer placed my arms around her, letting her head rest on my shoulder. Her forehead felt warm as it was pressed against my cheek.

I closed my eyes and just let her cry, thinking that it was the best I could do for now. I was just hoping no walkers would come by and break us up.

I had never seen Olivia cry like this. She was full on sobbing, letting all of her emotion out. When she let out a breath, it was mixed with a sound that made my heart twitch. The raw emotion in her cries made me feel helpless. The only time I had seen her cry after the apocalypse was after she told me she wanted to leave. That seemed like nothing compared to these tears. It made me fall apart and I felt myself tear up too.

So we just sat there, on the ground, holding each other.

After 10 minutes, I decided to break the silence. Olivia's sobs had ceased and she was hiccuping now.

''Liv,'' I said, leaning back a bit so she would sit up and look at me. ''What happened? After everything broke down?'' Her bottom lip started to tremble as she thought back to those memories.

''We escaped,'' She let out a shaky sigh, trying to gather herself together. ''All of us.'' That meant her parents and her older sister. ''We did all right. It was tough, but we made it work. Then we met up with a group, they seemed nice at the time. They had tons of food, a large community and it was safe.'' She wiped the left over tears away from her eyes, slowly returning to the stone cold Olivia from before.

''I was a scavenger, looking for supplies for the community. My parents didn't really get along with the leader, they questioned his methods of leading. The rest of the community was to scared to say anything. So my parents, for some stupid reason, felt obliged to say something about it.'' She took another shaky breath and looked up.

''They were killed, without a warning.'' The anger in her eyes flared up as she told the story, sadness disappearing into dry anger. ''I was on a run at the time, so when I returned and saw-'' She stopped.

''The bastard had executed them, in front of everybody. To show them what happened if they rebelled. So that night I took off and ran as far as I could.'' She looked up at me for the first time, taking her eyes of the ground. Her eyes were filled with tears and anger as she looked at me.

''You haven't seen it Aubrey. He'd slit their throats in front of everybody, letting them turn. Strung them up to make an example. I wanted to kill him right there and then.''

I had no idea what to say, what to do. That was horrible, I really felt for her.

''Oh Liv, I'm so sorry.'' I told her, wrapping my arms around her again.

''I thought I was doing better.'' She mumbled, ''At first I felt so angry, all the time. I thought it had gotten better.'' She repeated.

''It has.'' I reassured her, ''You have grown so much since we saw each other again. You got this.''

Olivia always seemed to tall, so strong. But right now, she looked like a little girl. She looked like the Olivia I knew before everything went to shit. The one who cried when she was sad, laughed when she was happy and joked around. She was broken, crying and crumbled up on the ground. She looked so lost. She always acted like she didn't need me, but now I knew she did. And I would be there for her.

Because that's what friends do.

Upon arrival at Alexandria, the sun had already started to slowly set. Liv and I were walking towards the gates. I had convinced her to go through the actual entrance and not sneak in or out.

After our, intense, talk we just sat there for a while. I had been the one to start talking again and we had discussed every topic we could think of. We spoke of our childhood together, how we used to run around in cute skirts and think we could rule the world. We talked about her parents, about her sister Paige. Paige had been older then both of us, but that didn't stop her from hanging out with us, even though she could feel incredibly embarrassed of us.

But now that we were walking to Alexandria we had gotten quiet. It wasn't a bad silence, we were just comfortable around each other and didn't need to speak. When we were standing a few feet away, the gates already opened, having seen us already.

An unfamiliar man showed up behind it. I hadn't seen him around yet, but with that being said, I hadn't seen a lot of the people here.

''Hi, I'm Aubrey,'' I politely introduced myself, extending my hand. It was a weird thing to do, as if I was meeting a neighbour for the first time. Which I kind of was.

''I know,'' He said, quickly taking my hand, but barely shaking it. He was looking very nervous. ''You're Olivia right?'' He asked, but he didn't even wait for her to answer, ''I'm Aiden and everyone's been looking like crazy for you.''

''Ah-Oh,'' I mumbled, ''Where are they now?''

''Glenn and Noah went out to look for you, when we couldn't find you guys in Alexandria.'' He scratched his head, feeling very uncomfortable for some reason.

I exchanged a look with Olivia and we both knew what to do. We walked past him towards our house, knowing that everyone would be waiting there. Our walking had sped up to running, knowing everyone would be eager to know we were okay.

It was weird running through such a quiet place in the evening. The sound of our footsteps could be heard on the pavement, instead of the leaves of the woods or the creaking of old wood. Running itself felt good though, it was nice to feel the wind against my face, making me hair trail behind it. My hair had grown quite a bit since the prison, I needed to ask Maggie for another haircut, I liked my hair a bit short, it made it more difficult to grab for the walkers.

Even before we reached to door of the house we were currently staying in, it opened. Rick appeared in the doorway and we slowed down to a jog. Rick wrapped his arms around me quickly, happy to see I was okay. We broke apart a second later.

Rick placed a hand on Olivia's shoulder as a sign of respect and also relieved to see she was okay. In return she gave him an understanding nod.

''I'm so sorry, we were just outside. Walking.'' I explained, ''We forgot to tell anyone we were leaving.'' Worry and guilt were heard in my voice as I spoke. I never meant for us to cause such a fuss. Both of us didn't really expect to be gone for so long.

''It's fine,'' Rick reassured me, patting my shoulder too.

That moment Daryl came through the door and when he saw me he let out a sigh of relief. I gave him an awkward smile before he stalked over to me and wrapped his arms around my small frame.

''I'm fine,'' I mumbled in his neck, ''I'm fine.''

That night, Daryl and I decided to go and sleep over at the other house. Carl, Rick, Michonne and Judith were also staying there.

I had quickly claimed the bedroom with the balcony on it. When I was little I'd always wanted a room with a balcony, so you could oversee anything at night. There was a sense of control, being able to see what was going on around you, even though you were inside.

So that's where Daryl and I were sitting. On the balcony, our legs in between the wooden railing, just staring at community. The fences were looking even more intimidating than throughout the day. With the silence, it felt like this fence was invincible. Like nothing was getting through it, ever.

''Feels weird, don't it?'' Daryl says, glancing at me.

I brought my thumb up to my mouth, slowly biting it. ''Yeah, it does.'' I placed my arms on top of the railing, leaning on it.

''It feels like what life used to be,'' I confessed, ''Except everything's gone. It's just a shell. A shell of what life used to be.'' There was a pause, from both of us. But it was true, for me. We never used to live in a house as big as this, but the concept was there.

''It ain't for me.'' Daryl admitted and I turned my head to look up at me. He was staring in front of him, it felt like he was refusing to look at me.

''How come?'' I asked him, curious.

''I ain't never lived in a house like this. Only place I lived in was my dad's and my brother's.'' He was biting on his thumbnail as he spoke, a nervous habit I had picked up.

''You never lived on your own?''

''Nah,'' Daryl shook his head slightly, ''I've never seen any reason why. I didn't do nothing else besides drifting around with my brother.'' He glanced at me quickly before looking back to the view before him. I was looking at him, my head fully turned to see his expressions as he spoke. I waited patiently for him to continue, glad he finally told me something about his past.

''We just did whatever Merle told me we were gonna do that day. It was mostly dragging me from bar to bar, getting shitfaced drunk.'' He had grabbed his knife and started carving in the wood railing, ruining the paint. I watched him do it, it was kind of like he marked it his own. Our own.

''You didn't work?'' I asked him, ''Besides hunting of course.'' I quickly added, knowing he had done that quite a lot of times when he was younger.

''Nah,'' There was another silence. He seemed to be thinking back to something. I was curious to find out what it was, but I didn't want to interrupt his train of thoughts. He seemed so focused, it was like he was reliving it in front of his eyes.

''To be honest, I was no one before all of this.'' He poked the wood again, making a scraping sound with his knife.

''I was nobody.'' 5 seconds passed. After those seconds he looked at me and started talking again.

''Ya know, Merle had this dealer. This janky little white guy. A tweaker.'' He started. Daryl never really talked about his brother. He never really did before we found him, but after he died he just seemed to completely ignore his existence. I guess he found it too difficult to talk about him. Until now at least.

''One day we were over at his house, watching TV. Wasn't even noon yet and we were all wasted.'' He sighed as he said so, looking at the knife in his hand and back to me. ''Merle was high. We were watching this show and Merle was talking all this dumb stuff about it. And he wouldn't let up. Merle never could. Turn's out it was the tweaker's kid's favorite show. And he never sees his kid, so he felt guilty about it or something'' He had a slight smile on his face as he talked to me. You could barely call it a smile, but it was there. It made my face automatically light up.

''So he punches Merle in the face. So I start hitting the tweaker, like, hard. As hard as I can. T-Then he pulls a gun, sticks it right here.'' Daryl made a pistol with his hands and pointed it at his head. The tale had suddenly turned an awful lot and Daryl's smile had left his face. ''He says 'I'm gonna kill you, bitch'. So Merle pulls his gun on him. Everyone's yelling, I'm yelling.''

''I thought I was dead. Over a dumb cartoon about a talking dog.'' He scoffs, placing the knife back in his holster and looking at me. There was something in his eyes tonight. Like something had changed since this morning.

''What happened?'' I asked him.

''Tweaker punched me in the gut. I puked. They both started laughing and forgot all about it.'' He seemed a bit ashamed to tell the story. He was looking down at the ground, as if something interesting was actually going on there.I placed my head on his shoulder, wrapping my arms around his bicep.

''Nice story,'' I joked, ''Ending could use a little work though.'' He scoffed, but I think there was also a slight chuckle behind it.

I lifted my head up from his shoulder, taking a good look at him.

He had changed so much since I first saw him. At first he had been distant, his walls constantly up around me. Things between us have always moved slow. He never really trusted me in the beginning and I never really trusted him. He was grumpy, hotheaded and closed off to almost everyone. But that made these moments so special. The prison had been a place where I had left so much behind, the good and the bad things. Daryl and I had two almost kisses there. I couldn't have been an easy one to like. Especially after my mother's death.

But he was there, even if he wasn't there since the beginning. He never left, he always supported me in any choice I made. He respected me. He was just- around. He had supported me through the Governor, through my mother's death and recently through Beth's. A girl he didn't even know and still he mourned for her like I did. Because he knew how hard it had been for me. I realised how much I appreciated him, how much he meant to me.

I had fallen. Hard.

Daryl wasn't looking at me, but this time I think he didn't even notice me watching him. He looked lost in thoughts, his eyes were glazed over a little, his mind elsewhere.

''Daryl.'' I whispered and he looked down. I didn't give him any chance to say anything. I pulled him towards me, planting my lips on his. I think I surprised him at first. He wasn't moving for a whole second, frozen in his spot. But after that he leaned in even more, making me smile against him.

His lips moved in sync with mine, almost in a trance. His lips were chapped, like mine, but neither of us seemed bothered by it. My hands went up to his face, gently cupping it.I placed it so that his ear was in between my thumb and index finger. He was starting to grow a bit of stubble, which felt funny against the palm of my hand.

His hands went up and tangled in with my hair, waving through it. I pulled my legs back, away from the railing almost at the same time Daryl did. All the while we barely broke apart, only swiftly to catch a breath. I giggled a bit as we awkwardly re-positioned ourselves, which was proving to be more difficult than I thought. It was hard pulling my legs away from the railing, without breaking physical contact with the man in front of me.

While repositioning myself on my knees in front of him, he followed my lead and did the same. My heart was beating in my chest as Daryl's hands gripped tightly onto my hair. Our breathing was becoming quicker and it quickly turned into panting since we only stopped kissing when we needed to get some air for a second.

Daryl's hands let go of my hair and slipped under my shirt, resting on my stomach. His hands felt cool against my hot skin. His thumb rubbed against it, comforting me. A yelp escaped my lips as he moved his mouth away from mine and instead dipped it into my neck. I giggled as I felt his tongue lick the skin there. A breath escaped my lips and my hands shot out to grab his hair instead of his face.

With all the power I could muster I pulled back, slightly disappointed at the coldness when I removed myself from him. Daryl looked flustered, his face red and his hair was a total mess. I figured I didn't look any better.

''How about we take this inside?'' I breathed out,. In response Daryl placed his lips on mine again, his hands went to the sides of my neck, placing them there. We attempted to get up, without breaking apart. Which we succeeded in, barely. His hands moved away from my neck and instead went to my bottom, lifting me up. I went along with it and wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me inside the house.

Our house.

* * *

 **Finally, It happened!**

 **For any of you who are wondering, no they did not use a condom, since those things aren't just lying around the house. But with the lack of food Aubrey has had the past weeks, the chance of her getting pregnant are veeery small.**

 **Tell me what you think, I'd love to hear it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I edited it now, so you can read it while cringing a bit less.**

* * *

When I opened my eyes the next morning, I was probably in the best mood I could possibly be in.

I turned my head around, looking at the man beside me. He was sleeping, softly snoring even. My arm was draped across his stomach. With my fingers I slowly traced the lines of his body, trying to remember everything about him. I was completely amazed by the man lying next to me. I felt like a teenage girl.

His arm was under my head and his hand was tangled in my bed hair. When I looked at the clock on our bedside table I noticed it was already 8, meaning that anybody could come in at any moment. But instead of waking Daryl up like I was probably supposed to do. I just closed my eyes and let myself fall asleep again, savoring the moment.

I wanted to cherish this moment forever, this was a golden moment. Everything was perfect right now. None of us were in danger, we were safe. Daryl had opened up to me, let me see every aspect of him. I hoped he would still feel that way when he woke up. But with Daryl you would never know for sure, that's why I tried to hold onto this, as long as I could.

Because you never knew what would happen, not just with Daryl, but in general.

Daryl groaned slightly, waking up. I still had my eyes closed and I didn't really want to open them, trying to hold onto my sleep.

Although I slowly opened them when I felt Daryl sitting up to leave the bed. When I had them fully opened he was already sitting up, his legs swung over to his side of the bed. This time I noticed something that had completely slipped past me last night.

Long dark scars could be seen on his back and a lump arrived in my throat as I stared at them. I couldn't believe I had never seen it. Has he been trying to cover it up?

Without a warning I reached out, softly caressing his back, where the scars were. Daryl winced when I did so and I felt compelled to pull back. Right when I wanted to retreat and stop myself from invading his space, he seemed to force himself to relax. My thumb followed the faded lines, both of us kept quiet, allowing each other to think.

Daryl didn't turn around to look at me. His head stared at the wall in front of him. The tense posture he had before was gone, he slowly started to relax.

I was kind of strange, what we were doing. But it didn't feel uncomfortable, or weird. I tried to let him know I understood. That it didn't matter for me since it obviously bothered him so much.

I pulled my hand back from the scars and it went to his arm instead. My fingers wrapped around his wrist and sat up on the bed. This time he did turn around, a little insecure as he did so.

''Stay,'' I said, pouting a little bit to persuade him. He gave me a small smile and I felt my heart flutter as I looked at him. He turned his whole body around so that he facing me now.

We both leaned forward at the same time, our lips connecting. The kiss was small but meaningful and even after he pulled away I still had my eyes closed, enjoying the moment for just a few seconds.

''Can't.'' He just said, he left the bed and walked over to the closet. He pulled on new pants and a shirt while I let myself fall back onto the bed, sighing.

Even though I hoped this moment would never end, I knew it had to. I was supposed to go with Glenn and Tara on a scouting trip. Two people of the community were going to show us around the territory and let us know how they handle things. It felt weird to be told all the rules. We were the outsiders this time and I was sure that most of the community didn't trust us yet.

I blew out my breath and left the comfort of the bed. I changed into my old clothes. Deanna had made sure that there were plenty of new clothes in the closet for us to change into. But for some reason, I still couldn't do it. I wasn't ready to dress like a whole new person.

When I was halfway done, Daryl had already finished and he touched my shoulder real quick, letting me know he was going downstairs for breakfast. As soon as he was gone I took a moment to realize what had just happened.

I slept with Daryl. I actually slept with Daryl.

With the most complicated man on earth, and he was completely cool about it. Daryl was definitely something else.

Tara, Glenn and I were trailing behind Aiden en Nicolas as they were strutting through the woods. Nicolas was the one who opened the gates for us two days ago. The guy had a massive ego surrounding him. Apparently, he was one of the best runners the community had. Aiden wasn't a lot better either. Aiden was the leader of the run crew, though he looked like he not only accepted the leader position, he also seemed to enjoy it. Maybe a bit too much.

But you know what they said. Don't judge a book by its cover. Aiden looked like he was a nice person in general and Nicolas wasn't bragging about himself. So that was a plus.

They were talking about their way of working.

''We've been increasing our radius, mile by mile, spreading in a semi-circle around town,'' Aiden said, he was holding his machine gun in a comfortable manner, totally relaxed. Which made me less tense too. He turned his head in our direction from time to time. To be polite or just to make sure we were still paying attention.

''We've made it 45 miles out so far,'' Nicolas spoke up, giving us a proud smile.

I had brought my handgun and machete with me. I was holding my machete, prepared for a walker if it was necessary. Glenn was also carrying a machine gun and Tara had both of her weapons, a knife and a gun, still in her holster. But her hand was placed on her firearm, ready to pull it out if necessary.

''We usually break into two groups when we step out our vehicle. If anything happens, we fire a flare.'' Aiden explained, ''One group gets the other.'' Seemed like an operational system, could work.

''Good system.'' Tara complimented the. As if she was reading my thoughts. She finished the sentence with a polite smile, like the one Nicolas had given us.

''It is.'' Aiden took the compliment, ''Still, you're standing here because we lost four people last month.'' He added after a short pause.

''What happened?'' I asked. The woods had started to grow slightly thicker as we walked further into it. We still had plenty of space to walk around. The leaves on the ground suggested that fall was coming sooner than any of us had anticipated and they crunched under our boots

''We were on a run. Roamers came out. They didn't follow the system.'' Aiden sighed. I couldn't see his expression, because I was standing behind him. Although his shoulders were tense. To be honest, his whole body had tensed up. Quite the opposite of a few minutes before.

''They were good people,'' Nicolas added, turning to look at us. His face expressed one of guilt and grief at the same time, suggesting he knew these people well. I felt bad for them. It showed that no one was safe from this world, not even the ones that lived behind a wall.

''They were.'' Aiden confirmed, ''They were just scared.''

Aiden exhaled loudly, his head went down for a few seconds, looking at the ground below him. Then he rose it again, regaining his posture. ''Look I know I can be a hard-ass. And I know I'm a douchebag. But, Someone's got to call the ball around here and that someone is me.'' He fully turned around at this point. His walking had slowed down to a stop and he looked at us, making sure we got the message.

''If you're on this crew you do exactly as I say.'' It seemed like he was waiting for us to say something. To agree with him, swear our loyalty to him.

Tara, Glenn and I just shared a look with each other.

''Sorry for your loss,'' Tara mumbled, ignoring his speech from just now.

''Yeah, we got ours.'' Was Aiden's response. He gave an unnerving smile towards Nicolas. It looked like they were both thinking the exact same thing. My hand automatically reached for my gun, clutching it tightly.

Only after a few seconds I actually realized what I was doing. My hand let go of my holster and I forced it to stay by my side. I knew they weren't going to hurt us, we were part of the same community now. My instincts just naturally kicked in.

''Managed to snag one of the deadheads that took them down,'' Nicolas said, pointing to his right. ''Strung it up there.''

My eyes widened ever so slightly and I shared a worried look with the rest of us.

''What?'' Glenn spoke up, thinking the exact same thing as I was. ''Why?''

''Now we have a little pregame ritual.'' Nicolas turned his body around while walking, so he was looking at us. ''Get our heads on straight.''

''Remind us what we're up against,'' Aiden added.

We stepped into a clearing. Up in the tree was a chain tied onto one of the branches. The chain went all the way down, halfway to the ground. At the end of it, where the walker was supposed to be, was nothing left but blood combined with a flap of skin. Flies were buzzing around it, letting us know it had happened not too long ago.

I grimaced at the sight of it. There was a large blood spot on the ground, colouring the leaves.

''Son of a bitch.'' Aiden cursed. He placed his gun against the tree and started to pull down on the chain. ''Blood's still wet. It's nearby.''

I jumped and turned to my right where Nicolas let out a loud whistle. Glenn, Tara and I immediately stalked over to him, trying to shush him.

''Hey!'' Glenn boldly turned around, putting his hand up. ''It's gone.''

''It took down one of our friends and it's nearby. We're not letting it go.'' Aiden defended himself.

My hands had started to sweat slightly. These irrational men were making me nervous. I got the fact that they wanted revenge for it killings their friends, but there had to be a line. A line where you let it go. I clutched my machete a little bit tighter, the adrenaline was already starting to rush through my veins. The pace of my heart was going up a little bit and I was ready to fight.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aiden stumbling back and when I looked over I saw why. The walker had appeared from his right and he leaned out of the way.

Nicolas immediately started to try and get his attention. He clapped and yelled at the walker whose attention was now focused on him. It staggered over to Nicolas, teeth chattering against each other and producing a horrible sound.

Aiden followed the walker. Since it's attention was directed towards Nicolas, Aiden could easily grab the walker. With his hands he pulled the arms off the corpse together, keeping it at bay from sinking its teeth in Nicolas.

Glenn had gotten his gun out, pointing it at the walker. But Nicolas held his hand up towards him.

''No! Back off, don't touch it.'' I clenched and unclenched my hands, thinking what would be the best course of action. My hands were itching to kill it. Holding it didn't feel natural and every instinct screamed in my to put it down. On the other hand, this was their was of dealing with it and I felt we had to respect it to a certain degree.

Tara had her knife in her hand and took a step closer, in case things got out of hand. Which they did. The walker had noticed that there was someone behind it and turned around, attacking Aiden. Aiden stumbled back, trying to get away from it. So in response, he pushed it away from him, against Tara.

Tara was trying to hold onto it, but Glenn and I could both see she wouldn't last forever. Both of us stalked forwards at the same time. Glenn got there first and impaled the walker with his knife.

The walker collapsed onto the ground, leaving Tara panting. I walked over to her, checking to see if she was alright.

''What the hell!'' Aiden yelled at us.

''Yeah what the hell.'' I told him, taking a step forwards to him. I stood in front of Tara, making sure would have time to calm down.

''You almost got her killed.'' Glenn added, getting in Aiden face, confronting him.

''I told you all to stay back.'' He said, his brows were furrowed together and his lips pulled backwards in anger. ''I told you to listen to every damn thing I said. I told you that.''

Glenn and Aiden stared each other down. I could see on Glenn's face that he was resisting the urge to punch him and somewhere I hoped he would. After a few tense seconds, Glenn took a step back, still glaring at Aiden and walking away. We followed him, back to Alexandria.

The walk back was tense, Aiden was rambling to us about how we were supposed to listen to him. How he told us to listen to him. He didn't ask for Tara to get in the middle, she wasn't supposed to get in the middle.

By the time we arrived at the gates, Glenn wasn't the only one who felt the urge to punch him. When I glanced over at Tara I saw it too. I had placed my handgun and machete back in my holsters, which gave me the opportunity to clench my hands into fists. It helped to relieve stress for me and without a weapon in my hands I could be sure I wasn't going to kill him.

''You three need new gigs,'' Aiden called us as we walked through the gates.

We were walking a few metres in front of Aiden and Nicolas, trying to put as much distance between us as possible.

''You're not ready for runs yet.'' I loudly scoffed at his words. These guys needed to realise the situation they were in. We had been out there for over a month, they had never really been _out there_.

''Yeah pretty sure you got that backwards.'' Glenn told them. I heard Aiden start to speed up, trying to catch up with Glenn.

''Hey,'' He said, putting his hand on Glenn's arm to make him turn around. ''Hey!''

''We got a way of doing things around here. You obey my order out there.'' Aiden said, gesturing with his hands.

I saw Daryl walking towards us and I made brief eye contact with him, letting him know things weren't going downhill fast.

''Ah, then we're just as screwed as you last crew.'' Glenn retorted. I saw something twitch in Aiden's jaw, his eyes narrowed in on Glenn.

''Say that again.'' Aiden said in a low and threatening voice and I was pretty sure that Glenn was going to say it again too.

''Woah, back off Aiden.'' I said, but instead of listening, he pushed Glenn away with one hand. He was challenging Glenn to do something. So far Glenn was holding on fine, he hadn't punched him or pushed him yet. But Aiden pushing Glenn triggered something and I stepped forward.

''You need to back off now.'' I said, placing a hand against his chest to keep him away from Glenn. He glared at me for a second before looking back at Glenn.

''No one's impressed man, walk away.'' Glenn returned the threatening voice and I almost sighed as I listened to them.

''Aiden!'' We heard a voice behind us, I turned around to see Deanna walking towards us. Her walk was confident and I realised where Aiden got his strut from. ''What is going on?''

''These guys have a problem with the way we do things.'' He said, not taking his eyes off Glenn. Deanna had arrived by the time Aiden was done with his sentence and he turned around to face his mother. ''Why'd you let these people in?''

''Because we actually know what we're doing out there.'' The second I saw Aiden's face I knew what he was going to do. His jaw was clenched and his lips pursed as he turned around and took a swing at Glenn.

Glenn swiftly dodged him and punched Aiden in the face. Aiden stumbled backwards and landed on the ground. Nicolas rushed over to Glenn, trying to attack him as well. Instead, Daryl threw himself on Nicolas, tackling him onto the ground.

''Shit,'' I mumbled. At this point, everyone came running towards us. I saw Rick go over to Daryl before I could, trying to calm him down. Michonne also arrived here along with Maggie.

''You want to end up on your ass again?'' Michonne threatened Aiden as he stood up, standing close to him. Rick had pulled Daryl away from Nicolas, who was coughing and clutching his throat.

Daryl was pacing around. Rick was standing in front of him, preventing Daryl from attacking again. I walked over to Daryl, softly placing a hand on his chest. Daryl's eyes snapped over to mine and I gave him a firm nod, letting him know everything was okay. Daryl stopped pacing around, but he was still glaring at Nicolas and Aiden, not trusting them.

''I want everyone to hear me, okay?'' Deanna spoke up, her voice harsh and stern. ''Rick and his people are part of this community now in all ways, as equals.''

''Understood?'' She snapped her head towards Aiden, direction her words to him. Aiden shrugged his shoulders and after a few seconds mumbled, ''Understood.''

Deanna sent Aiden and Nicolas away, telling them they were going to have a talk with her. As they left I looked up at Daryl again. He was still anxious and I knew he was trying not to pace around, so I took a couple of steps back, letting him have his space. When I did, he started to take a few steps forward and backwards again.

Deanna turned over to Rick. ''I told you I had a job for you. I'd like you to be our constable. That's what you were and that's what you are.'' Her head turned over to Michonne ''You too.'' Michonne looked surprised at the request, but flattered nonetheless.

''Okay,'' Rick said, raising his brows a bit.

''I'm in.'' Michonne added.

Besides me, Daryl scoffed loudly. I turned around to face him. He wasn't looking at me, he was looking at Rick. There was a hint of hurt displayed in his eyes, but he covered it up. He picked up his crossbow from the ground and started to walk away.

I sent a look to Deanna, ''Sorry.'' I apologised for him and sent Rick the same look before going after him. Daryl had always had a good pace, his legs were longer than mine, which made it difficult for me to catch up to him.

I was panting when I finally reached him, and started walking on his right side. Jogging a bit to try and keep up with him.

Daryl's crossbow was clutched in his left hand, his right hand was clenched into a tight fist. He was completely ignoring my presence, staring straight ahead at Alexandria. His eyebrows were furrowed together and his eyes showed anger, but that wasn't the only emotion he was showing. Betrayal was also one of them.

''Daryl,'' I tried, placing my hand in front of his chest, but not touching him. I wasn't trying to evoke him. Talking right now seemed like the safest option, except he wasn't in the mood to talk. He ignored my voice and kept on walking. ''Hey, Daryl.'' I tried again.

I saw something twitch on his face before he stopped, turning around to face me. Even though his body was now turned towards mine, his eyes were anywhere but on me.

''No Aubrey.'' He said and he forced himself to look at me, that was clear. ''Just stop, I don't wanna yell. Not at you.'' He sighed, letting out a slight grunt.

I had no idea how to respond to that. But I couldn't help but realise how much he had changed. When I first met him, he would have yelled at me, just because I was there. Because I would have been someone he could have yelled at. I looked up at Daryl, his eyes were flickering over, to each of my eyes. His blue eyes sparkled at that moment and I was at awe how handsome he was.

His eyes spoke the thousand words that he couldn't. His face was emotionless, but his eyes told me anything. That was something I had learned from Daryl. His face would be still, a closed book. But his eyes showed the thoughts and feelings he was trying to suppress so much.

''Okay,'' Was all I could say. Daryl gave me a firm nod, one that let me know he was glad I understood, and walked away.

Olivia came running towards me, having heard the commotion from outside. I was still staring at Daryl, completely stunned.

''Hey,'' Liv spoke, placing a hand on my shoulder. ''You okay?'' My head slowly turned over to her, my eyes connecting with hers.

''I think so.''

* * *

 **Review?**


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning I still hadn't spoken to Daryl. I had arrived back at the house later that evening, where he was sitting on the balcony. Sulking.

I wanted to go over to him, try to talk about it. But eventually decided against it. Daryl would need a day to figure things out and collect his thoughts, and I wasn't going to push him. At least Daryl was acting normal towards me, or at least he wasn't more grumpy than average.

Glenn and Tara were hauling supplies we would need in the back of the truck, while I was chatting with Noah.

The generator had shut down yesterday. Eugene had taken a look at it, decided what was wrong and told us what we needed to collect. The only thing he didn't expect was that he would be joining the run. We needed to make sure we got the right equipment and Eugene was the only one who could identify it.

''Reg gave me a notebook this morning,'' Noah said. He was concentrating on his gun as he filled up the magazine. His eyes glanced up at me for a second before returning to the weapon. I smiled up at him.

''He did? Why?'' I questioned, leaning against the wall behind me. This time Noah lifted his head up towards me and a smile spread across his face.

''Because I'm in it for the long haul.'' He spoke, ''I want to help build this community. Reg thought I should write down my idea.'' I was glad with the tone of pride that filled Noah's voice. I noticed that he stood up a bit straighter when he spoke of this community and I realised he really wanted this to work.

''Smart.'' I noted, ''I guess we're all in it for the long haul.'' I mumbled after it, my eyes flickering over to Daryl who was talking to Maggie. His eyes glanced over to me a few seconds later, as if he knew I was staring at him. Instead of looking away, I gave him a slight smile. He awkwardly returned it, his eyes going from Maggie to me and back to Maggie.

''I hope so.'' Noah said, snapping my attention back to him. I nodded in agreement. I too, really hoped so.

Daryl was still talking to Maggie, he looked extremely uncomfortable with the conversation they were having. Though it was impossible to see what they were talking about. I was extremely curious as to what they were saying to each other. I was contemplating whether or not to go down there, when Glenn called me.

''Aubrey, Noah, you ready to go?'' I pushed myself from the wall, giving Glenn a nod as an answer. Noah and Tara started chatting with each other about a Holly. Maggie and Daryl were making their way over to us and I smiled up at them.

Maggie patted me on the shoulder as she passed me, heading over to talk to Glenn. I turned to Daryl who was standing in front of me. We both started strolling away from the group in silence. It felt as if both of us didn't know what to say. When we were still a good distance away from the group, Daryl softly grabbed my arm, making me stop and face him.

''Be careful.'' Daryl said, placing his hand on my cheek.

I closed my eyes as I felt his hand against my skin, his thumb tracing under my eye. He lightly pushed my head towards him as his lips made contact with my forehead. The smile on my face was similar to the one that appeared on Daryl as he looked at me.

''I always am aren't I?'' I joked. I was so happy that everything was alright between us. Things weren't awkward after that night and Daryl hadn't pushed me away at all. The man was slowly starting to change his behaviour towards me, he was opening up instead of closing himself in inside those walls he build.

Daryl was quick to lean forward and place his lips against mine. I yelped at the sudden contact. He still wasn't really the one who made the first move, so this was a change. But it was one I could come accustomed to. Our lips moved against each other in a quick kiss and before I could even wrap my arms around him, he had pulled away, leaving me flustered.

''Aubrey!'' Tara yelled at me. Daryl and I both turned our heads towards the sound. A blush formed on my face as I saw the group staring at us. Even from this distance I could see the sly smile Maggie and Glenn had as they shared a look with each other.

''I-I-'' I started, but the words didn't form a sentence. My brain was confused and my heart was fluttering inside my chest. When I looked up at Daryl I noticed the small grin forming on his face. I playfully pushed him, since I was sure that if I'd open my mouth, nothing logical would come out of it.

''See you later.'' I mumbled, before quickly turning away from him and walking back to the group.

''Not a word.'' I warned them as I jumped in the truck, trying to ignore the chuckles.

* * *

''We should do a perimeter check. So we have a plan if things go south.'' Glenn suggested as he took the rifle Aiden was handing him.

We had arrived at our destination. A storage building. It looked like no one had been here for a while. A few walkers were roaming around, but nothing too major. The ride back here had been pretty embarrassing for me. The rest of the group loved it, apparently they enjoyed my discomfort. They hadn't said a word about me and Daryl yet, but it was hanging in the air.

Nicholas scoffed at the idea, clearly not agreeing with it.

''We already have one, it's called going out the front.'' Nicholas grinned slightly at Glenn, as if he knew better. I guess Nicolas wasn't really a fan of ours after what happened yesterday.

''Glenn's right. We should know all our exits.'' Aiden sided with Glenn. The grin on Nicholas' face turned into a disapproving one as his eyes snapped up to Aiden.

I tried to hide my smile as I looked at Nicholas's face. His ego had faltered a bit as he realised Aiden was the one in charge. So he nodded at the man's words and we went into groups to do a perimeter check.

Noah, Glenn and I were strolling around the building, trying to find any holes in the gate, or any useful exits. I was clutching my gun in my hands, focusing on my surroundings.

''You and Daryl huh?'' Glenn started and I tried not to blush at his words. The conversation hadn't even started and I was already red as a tomato.

''We're- ehm'' I realised that I didn't even know what we were. We weren't officially dating, but I guess you could say we were partners. Even though I knew Daryl never had been one for official titles and such, but I want to. I wanted to tell everyone Daryl and I were together. I wanted to call him my boyfriend. The thought scared me, never had I really wanted to be someone's partner until now.

''I get it.'' Glenn said, ''It was like that with Maggie too at first.''

''How did you- get out of it?'' I questioned, trying to sound neutral. I think Glenn saw right through me and he chuckled slightly before turning to me.

'' Confront him.'' I scoffed at his words.

''It's Daryl we're talking about here-'' I told him,

''I promise you. It'll work. Especially seeing what happened this morning.'' He reassured me. Glenn was really good at those kind of things. He gave me a smile and I returned to favour, thinking about his words.

I had to agree with Glenn that after this morning, the idea of us dating sounded tempting. Daryl had never shown affection to me in front of everyone. That made me think that, somewhere, he wanted it too. I really hoped he did.

''Thank you,'' I said, giving him a smile. Glenn gave me a slight smile back, nodding along with it.

We turned around a corner and immediately stopped when we saw what was on the other side. A fence had been placed to prevent someone coming in, and also someone coming out. Inside the gate walkers were stumbling around, blocking the front entrance. Luckily, they hadn't seen us yet, so we stood there for a few seconds. Our eyes were focused on the corpses that were either banging against the glass or blatantly stumbling around.

''Well we're not getting out the front.'' Glenn mumbled as a reaction to Nicholas' earlier comment. I sighed at those words. Every time walkers were involved in a run, it would get dangerous. Things would get out of hand and we needed to run or we'd get driven away.

Glenn turned around, getting back to the other. ''C'mon.'' He sighed as he walked away. Noah followed swiftly, but I lingered behind for a second. Taking in the small herd, before turning and following them back to the rest.

Apparently there were barely any other exits then the back and the front. Any doors that led inside were secured or locked. So we went in through the back. Glenn was the first to go in, Aiden right behind him. It seemed like Aiden had taken a step back with his dictatorship. Letting Glenn take the lead.

After waiting for walkers in the door opening a while, we all shuffled inside. My gun was grasped in my hand and I was on edge. You could hear walkers growling and snarling from a distance, excited for their next meal. Except none would appear.

''They're probably stuck on something,'' I mumbled, getting everyone's attention.

''How do you know?'' Aiden asked me. My head turned over to him, there was no grudge or any sign of annoyance in his tone. He was generally curious as to why. It was a big difference, compared to yesterday. When he was ordering us around, thinking he was better than us.

''Well they're not here.'' I stated simply.

Aiden chuckled at the simplicity of my answer and looked back in front of him again. This was the first time I really looked at Aiden. Aiden wasn't bad-looking and I could imagine him with Olivia. They would actually be kind of cute together.

We split up into three groups. Tara was with Eugene, Glenn with Noah and I went along with Aiden and Nicholas. It was easy to keep an eye on them that way. Aiden, Nicholas and I went to the furthest aisle from the three. Nicholas had been fairly quiet so far, barely saying a word. He was walking behind Aiden, his gun in his hand and pointed to the ground.

When we rounded a corner all three of us jumped back when a walker lunged at us. Except it didn't go very far. The fence in between stopped its plans, so the corpse was stuck on the other side. More walkers were pounding against the fence, trying to break through it. I let out a sigh of relief and saw that the two guys glanced over at me with a fearful expression.

''You know your stuff.'' Aiden said, his gun was still aimed at the walkers on the other side.

''I have some experience,'' I answered. We moved away from the fence and started looking through the boxes and anything else that might be useful.

A lot of different kinds of technology was stuffed inside the boxes, making them useless to me. I was no expert at technology, I could even say I was bad at it.

As I was looking through an almost empty bag I heard faint groans behind me. At first I thought the sound was coming from the walkers behind the fence, but when I heard the silenced gunshots I swiftly turned around.

My gun was up in an instant, but there was no need for it. Next to me was Aiden, who was already taking care of it. He tried to shoot the walker through its head, except the walker seemed to be from the army. He was wearing some kind of protection helmet, with bulletproof glass.

''Let it come closer.'' I heard Glenn say from the other aisle. Aiden nodded his head, taking in Glenn's words.

''I got it.'' He mumbled. He changed his aim to the walker's leg and with one clean shot he let a bullet go through it. The corpse crumbled to the ground, incapable of getting up. Aiden started to try and shoot under the helmet. I tried not to think about the bullets we were wasting by Aiden doing this. He needed to practise.

Right at that moment I spotted something.

''Aiden wait!'' I heard Glenn softly shout, trying not to attract too much attention. I saw it too and immediately walked over to him.

''Aiden stop!'' I yelled, but it was already too late.

Aiden's bullet hit the grenade and within seconds I was thrown backwards by a blast. My arms flew in front of me, trying to protect my face from the heat. Fortunately, the heat didn't really reach us. As soon as my back hit the ground, all the air was knocked out of my lungs. My body immediately gasped for air and I was frightened by how rough it sounded. I couldn't get up for a few seconds, my body was filling itself with oxygen again and my brain hadn't fully comprehended what just happened.

I rolled over onto my stomach and pushed myself up again. My brain was disoriented and I was wondering if I'd hit my head.

''Is everyone okay?'' I heard Glenn say.

My head turned to see the rest of us. Nicholas was also standing up now and my eyes turned to Aiden. He was lying on the ground, the gun a few feet next to him. I quickly crawled over to him, trying to see if he was still breathing. When I saw the slow rise and fall of his chest I let out a sigh.

''We're all okay.'' I answered back, looking back at Nicholas again to see him stumble slightly from the explosion.

''Help.'' We heard Eugene say. Glenn and Noah immediately turned over to him. I wanted to join them and see if Eugene needed help, but the groans from walkers snapped my attention back to where we were right now.

We had been standing right next to the cage and because of the explosion, the fences were down. Walkers were stumbling out, towards Aiden, Nicholas and I. I quickly took out my machete, trying to take down most of them before having to grab my gun.

I smashed the blade into the corpse's skull. My foot pushed up against its chest so I could pull back the machete. When the body collapsed onto the ground I looked over at Nicholas. He was just standing there. His eyes were wide with panic while I could practically hear the wheels turn in his head.

''Nicholas!'' I yelled at him over the walkers. His eyes snapped over to me and I wasn't sure what I saw when I looked at him. There was a form of fear displayed on his face, but there was another emotion I wasn't able to place. But I pushed that thought away when he took out his gun and started to take down the walkers with me.

All the while Aiden was starting to wake up. Only I was scared it wouldn't be quick enough. We needed to get out of here and fast. There were too many dead ones to take on. I guessed Glenn and Noah were trying to help Eugene and Tara, considering we hadn't seen them yet.

I swiftly took down another walker. Blood splattered my face as I quickly pushed the machete out of the skull. My body turned around to see how Aiden was doing. He was holding his head with one hand and looked a bit dazed, but otherwise fine. His eyes looked around and focused on me.

''Can you get up?'' I asked him, my volume was loud as I tried to go over the walkers. A groan sounded behind me and I turned my body around, taking down the walker that was a little too close for my liking, before turning back to Aiden.

He nodded and was already grabbing the shelf behind him to haul himself up.

That's when Glenn and Noah appeared around the corner, behind the walkers. I could faintly see Eugene, carrying an unconscious Tara. My eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what had happened to her.

''We need to get out of here!'' Glenn yelled to us, but his eyes were focussed on me. I gave him a firm nod and turned to Nicholas and Aiden while Glenn turned to Eugene. He was telling Eugene something and with a nervous nod, Eugene disappeared around the corner. Probably to the exit.

There was no way for us to get away from the walkers. They had made a barricade, preventing us from getting to Glenn and Noah. Which also meant, there was no path to the exit. The only way for us to go would be through the front entrance, which also wasn't an option.

My eyes flickered over to Aiden and Nicholas, who were both standing behind me. They both seemed afraid, but Nicholas was visibly shaking. His eyes snapped over to us and the walkers, as if he knew there was no way out of this.

''Listen,'' I told them, snapping their eyes over to me. ''Glenn and Noah are going to attack from behind, while we're going to attack from the front.'' Aiden was clenching his gun, occasionally taking out a walker if it came too close. ''It'll be tough, but it'll work.''

Aiden nodded at my words, but Nicholas was staring at the walkers. Now he wasn't just shaking, his breathing had started to become heavy and it looked like he was having a thousand thoughts in a second. He was losing it and he was losing it quickly.

''Nicholas.'' I told him. The walkers behind me were starting to get closer by the second and I needed every man I could get. This time he didn't look at me, his eyes were fixated on the dead ones behind me. I grabbed Nicholas by his shoulders, forcing him to look at me. ''Nicholas!''

He didn't even get a chance to answer, his eyes gazed at something behind me. I heard the snarl and before I could even turn around, I felt its dead hands on my shoulders.

''Aubrey!'' Aiden yelled behind me. It seemed like everything happened in slow motion. I had started to turn around, looking at the dead person in front of me. But within a second that visual was gone. The walker was replaced by Aiden who had placed himself in front of me. I only realised what was going on when Aiden's scream pierced through my ears. Teeth were sinking into Aiden's neck and I stumbled backwards, bumping into Nicholas.

I couldn't speak, I could only watch as the corpse ripped a chunk out of the man's neck. Aiden collapsed onto his feet, his scream hadn't stopped as the second walker lunged at him, this time going for his arm. My throat hurt with unshed tears and my vision was blurred.

He had saved me.

More walkers attacked Aiden and the screaming ceased. Only because of the walkers on Aiden, a path had cleared, giving us a possibility to go to Glenn and Noah. The opening wasn't big and we needed to be fast, before it closed again. He had not only saved my life, but also Nicholas'. I turned my head to look at him. His eyes flickered over to me and back to Aiden.

''C'mon Nicholas, I need you.'' I said, my voice sounding strange and monotone. He wasn't responding to me. ''Nicholas! We need to go now!'' I grabbed him by his shoulders again as I spoke, my voice starting to sound a bit more like me again. I guess Nicholas didn't see the opening, or he didn't think we'd make it, because he just shook his head at me.

''We're dead.'' He mumbled, ''We won't make it like this.'' With those words, he pushed me away. I stumbled over my own feet and before I knew it, I'd hit the ground. I looked up to see Nicholas running away, in the opposite direction of the entrance.

My eyes snapped over to Glenn and Noah who had seen it all happen and were working on creating a bigger opening. I mulled it over for a small second before jumping up and going after Nicholas. He was going to get himself killed, I wasn't planning on having his blood on my hands.

''Nicholas!'' I yelled, running after him. With one last glance at Aiden, I thanked him inside my head before going full speed towards the front, where Nicholas had gone to. I noticed that Glenn and Noah were right behind me, yelling at me and Nicholas to stop.

The walkers were behind us, following us. My breathing was starting to get heavy as I gave it my all the catch up with Nicholas. I was right behind him, my hand reached out to try and grab his shirt. Suddenly he turned left, to the revolving doors. I quickly followed him, not even thinking about it. My only thought was to stop him and not where he was going.

As Nicholas stepped into the revolving doors, I was quick enough to be in the same section as him. He tried to get out the door but I quickly grabbed his shirt and pulled him back. Just in time before the walkers outside could get a hold of him. I turned around to go back, but that's when Glenn and Noah arrived, stepping into the section opposite to us to get away from the walkers.

So now we were trapped. There were walkers on both sides of the door. I was in a section with Nicholas while Glenn and Noah were in the section opposite of us. I was pushing against the door, trying to keep them steady, trying to keep the walkers away.

I gave Glenn and Noah a look from the other side. A look that basically said, _we're screwed_. I looked around me, trying to find a way out.

Nicholas was starting to panic again and called out to Glenn. ''Hey, you guys still have guns. Maybe we can shoot our way out of here!''

''Yeah and you have the ammo.'' Glenn yelled back. I pulled out my gun that was still positioned in my holster and showed it to them.

''I have one bullet, that's not gonna work.'' I told them. One bullet was in no way going to be enough to get us out of here. There had to be another way.

That's when we heard it. The sound of music. Loud music may I add. The sound seemed to be coming closer, making it louder. The van appeared from around the corner, Eugene behind the wheel. The music was drawing the walkers away on one side. I had totally forgotten about Eugene this whole time. I never expected him to help. But right now, I was extremely glad he was still here.

I smiled as I saw all the walkers stumble towards the van. Now we had a chance, we could get out of here.

''Hey,'' Glenn yelled. ''I'm going to try and break the glass.'' I nodded at him, understanding. I doubted that Nicholas had heard what he said, but I didn't care at the moment. I positioned myself so that I could keep the doors steady and gave another nod at Glenn, signalling him to continue.

Glenn raised his gun and with the back of it he slammed against the glass. As soon as the weapon hit the glass, the whole door began to shake and that brought Nicholas' attention back to reality.

''Woah wait!'' He yelled at Glenn. But Glenn was already slamming the back of his machine gun against the glass. Only this time it was harder than the one before. Now it didn't just shake the door, the door on our side was pushed back, towards the walkers.

''Wait, wait!'' Nicholas yelled again as I tried to close the door.

''Nicholas! Shut up and help me!'' I told him. Nicholas seemed to get the message and helped me until the door was closed and we were safe again.

''It's not safe!'' He tried to convince Glenn. At this point, I was sick of Nicholas' behaviour and I grabbed him by his shirt while still trying to keep the doors balanced.

''This is going to work. So you're going to shut up and listen to what Glenn says or else you're going to get all of us killed.'' I spat at him. Nicholas stopped for a second before his eyes narrowed at me. Instead of the usual panic and fear in his eyes, there was now a look of anger and determination.

I let go of his shirt, convinced I had done the right thing, and nodded towards Glenn.

''Okay, 1-'' Glenn started counting down, sending a look to me and Nicholas. ''2-'' My whole body was anticipating the hit, getting ready to push the doors back again. ''3-'' He never finished his motion because before I knew it, Nicholas had grabbed me by the back of the head. His hands were holding onto my hair as he slammed my face against the glass. My hands flew back to my attacker, trying to scratch him or do anything to make him stop. I believe I hit him in the face before he forced my face against the glass again. ''Aubrey!'' I heard someone say, but I didn't realise who it was.

I collapsed onto the ground, my nose bleeding and my head dizzy. I felt myself starting to become hazy, as if my mind was trying to faint. I forced my eyes to open, knowing I'd go out if I closed them.

I noticed Nicholas had started to push against the door, trying to get out.

''No, Nicholas!'' Glenn yelled. I reached out to Nicholas, but my movement was too slow and before I knew it he was already halfway through. My mind was quickly starting to clear up and I saw that the door to the section where Glenn and Noah were, was opening.

''No,'' I mumbled, forcing myself up. Hands were reaching through the opening, trying to grab Noah and Glenn. Noah was standing closest to the door and within seconds hands had grabbed his feet and he was crashing into the ground. At that point I started pushing against my door, trying to get the one on their section closed.

Glenn was holding onto Noah with all he had. When I heard Glenn yell 'No' I gave it all I had and pushed against my door again. I heard Noah's agonizing scream and I was convinced he was gone. But when I looked over, I saw that a walker had sunk his teeth into Noah's ankle.

I threw my weight against the door and pushed again. I almost cried in relief when Glenn was able to pull Noah back towards him and the door closed. Noah was on the ground, clutching his ankle in pain and I knew we needed to be quick.

With my one last bullet, I aimed at the glass and without hesitation, pulled the trigger. The bullet hole was small but the glass was easier to break now. I smashed my weapon against the glass, breaking it into little pieces before jumping over it.

Glenn was quick to follow me and pushed against his door, throwing Noah's arm around his shoulder and hauling him with. He dropped Noah down before me and I quickly threw him the ammo.

''Go take care of the walkers, I'll take care of-'' I stopped talking, we both knew what had to be done. I looked down at Noah as he was writhing in pain. Glenn turned, loading his machine gun and started to shoot the walkers.

''I'm sorry,'' I told him as I wiped my machete against my pants, trying to get it as clean as possible.

''Do it.'' Noah whispered to me. His voice so full of determination that it made me want to cry. Even now, when he was on the verge of dying, he was still brave.

I closed my eyes for one second, raising my machete, before bringing it down, right on Noah's leg. I had started to cut right above his ankle, a bit higher than where the bite was. With the first chop, Noah started to scream. After the second or third one, his screams ceased and when I looked at him he had passed out. I was very close to crying at this point, my breathing had become ragged and Noah's blood splattered all over my face, making me want to vomit. With one last final cut, his foot was finally off.

At this point. I was just following my instincts. So I pulled off my jacket and wrapped it around the end of Noah's leg as an attempt to stop the bleeding.

''Glenn!'' I yelled and he turned around. His face scrunched up as he saw Noah. I pressed against Noah's wound, but before I knew it my whole hand was covered in blood as it was seeping through my jacket.

Glenn ran over to me and together we lifted Noah up. He was lighter than I had expected, making it easier for us to go to the van. When we arrived there the first thing we noticed was Nicholas. That bastard was still walking. But for now, there was no time to worry about him. Suddenly, Eugene fumbled for his gun, only Nicholas was faster and grabbed it from Eugene, pushing him out of the way.

Glenn threw Noah's arm around me, making me carry him by myself. I heaved at the sudden weight of the boy as Glenn ran over to Nicholas. The first thing he did was punch him in the face. I only know noticed that there were a few tears running down Glenn's face, his face was full of rage and sadness as he punched Nicholas once more.

I was starting to become worried he wouldn't stop, when Glenn pulled back. He looked at Eugene.

''Help us get Noah in the back.'' Eugene's eyes snapped over to me and Noah and within seconds I had another two pair of hands helping Noah inside. When I stepped inside the vehicle I noticed Tara lying on the ground with a cloth wrapped around her head. Glenn quickly came back with Nicholas and also put him in the back, a little less careful than with Noah.

''Shit.'' I mumbled, looking at Noah and back at Tara. Glenn quickly shut the door behind me and he and Eugene stepped inside the car. Glenn in the driver's seat and Eugene in the passenger's.

Glenn put his foot on the gas and within seconds we were speeding away from the building. My hands were still placed against Noah's leg as I finally allowed myself to cry. Tears were streaming down my face as I tried not to release the pressure on the wound.

My eyes flickered over to Eugene who was looking at Tara, his eyes snapped over to me and I looked back at him with tears in my eyes. I swear I saw some tears in his too. It's only then that I noticed something lying beside Tara. A notebook. Noah's notebook.

It was still empty, there was only one sentence written.

' _This is the beginning_ '

I thought of the conversation Noah and I had this morning. I'm in it for the long haul He had said. He wanted to help this community, make a difference. This was not how he was supposed to die. He was going to live a long and healthy life, I'd make sure of it. This was going to be the beginning for him.

''You're gonna make it.'' I mumbled to Noah's still form, ''I promise.''

We made it back in Alexandria in less than twenty minutes, even though it took us double that to get to the factory. Glenn slammed his hand down on the horn even before we were in sight, so they'd be sure to open the gate for us on time. It would attract more walkers, but we couldn't risk any second right now. Noah didn't have any time. He was losing too much blood, the floor of the van was covered in it, soaking my knees and hands. But I didn't even feel it anymore, I was only looking at Noah.

The gate was opened by Spencer, who looked at us strangely. We drove past the gate and immediately through to our infirmary. As soon as the van came to a halt I jumped up and opened the back door.

A crowd had already started to gather. I could see Daryl and Rick and Michonne running over to us. But I turned back to Noah, not being able to think about anything else. I gathered him up in my arms. One arm under his knees and the other under his back. I lifted him up as Glenn placed a new cloth against Noah's wound.

Eugene went into the back to grab Tara while Glenn and I hauled Noah to the infirmary.

''Everyone step back!'' I yelled, trying to clear a path. Glenn helped my lift Noah, practically taking over. I was glad of it, I felt like my knees could buckle any second.

Pete, the doctor of this place, appeared from out of the house and held the door open.

''What-'' He muttered as he looked at us.

''Please help him.'' I begged Pete. He nodded and walked inside with us. He pointed to a bed where we could place him on and we followed his instructions. Eugene quickly followed with Tara in his hands and placed her down next to Noah.

''Is he gonna live?'' I asked Pete as he started to try to stop the bleeding with bandages.

''I- I don't know.'' He mumbled.

''How can we help?'' Glenn asked, but Pete just stared at him and I knew the answer.

''You can't. He's gotta get through this on his own.'' When Pete had bandaged Noah there was nothing he could do anymore and he moved onto Tara. Fortunately, Tara was going to be alright. Her head had taken a pretty nasty fall, but she would recover. He bandaged Tara up too, but luckily the bleeding had already stopped before she arrived here.

I turned to Glenn and at the same time our arms wrapped around each other. I placed my chin on his shoulder and bit my lip to stop myself from sobbing. I still couldn't help the few tears that escaped my eye and I knew Glenn had the same problem.

''He'll be alright.'' Glenn told me, pulling back. I just nodded at his words, hoping for the best.

''I'll go outside for a bit.'' I told him as I slowly turned around and headed outside. I needed to get away from this room, it felt too much like death.

As I opened the door my hands went to my face to wipe the tears away. Only I stopped right before they touched. I noticed the blood on my hands, Noah's blood. My bottom lip started to quiver again and that's when Daryl stepped forward.

He didn't say anything, he just grabbed my shoulders and pulled me against him. I let him do so, my arms placed against his chest and my head in the crook of his neck. I tried to hold back the sobs, but failed. Tears streamed down my face and harsh sobs could be heard from my throat. Daryl just stood there with one hand on my head and the other around my shoulders. No words needed to be spoken, we both knew what each other was feeling.

I lifted my head slightly, looking over Daryl's shoulder. That's when I noticed someone stumbling out of the van, holding his head. My hands clenched into fists and all the sadness I had a few seconds before were replaced by anger. I pulled away from Daryl and without even looking at him, stalked over to the one man to blame.

Nicholas noticed me coming over to him, but he noticed it a little too late. He started to hold his hands up in front of him, trying to talk to me.

''Wait,- I- I'' I didn't wait for him to finish. I grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him back with full force against the van. His hands were still up in front of him when I placed my machete against his neck.

As soon as the weapon was visible for him he started to cry. His face turned red and scrunched up, trying to get away from my machete.

''Please no I-'' He stammered, saliva splattering everywhere.

''You're what?'' I grumbled, my voice dangerously low. ''You're _sorry_?'' I mocked him. There was a tense silence, where everyone was waiting. Waiting for me to do something. Deanna hadn't arrived yet, which is probably why I hadn't been stopped. That's when Glenn appeared from the house. I didn't notice him until he had finally reached me. He placed a hand on my shoulder, but I pushed him away.

''Aubrey,'' Glenn said softly,

''No.'' I said, my voice cracking. ''He did this.'' I yelled, my machete pushing a little bit further. Nicholas whimpered slightly as he felt the blade against his throat. The blade that was still coated with Noah's blood.

''He's not worth it, Aubrey. Just- Step back.'' Glenn placed his hand back on my shoulder and pulled slightly. I knew Glenn was right. He wasn't worth it. He didn't deserve my anger. So after a few tense seconds, I took a step back. Nicholas slumped against the van slightly, but I quickly pushed him back against the van, making him tense again.

''If any of them die. That's on you.'' I grumbled. '' And I won't hesitate to slit your throat.''

This time I took a few steps back, to let him know I was backing off. At that point, Deanna appeared from down the street, Maggie right behind her.

''What the hell is going on here?''

* * *

 **A suuuuper long chapter for you! Hope you enjoyed it, I sure enjoyed writing it.**

 **I'm sorry for updating late, I have been pretty busy.**

 **I wanted to thanks everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited. Thank you all so much, you guys are awesome!**


	9. Chapter 9

The beeping of the heart monitor was making me anxious. The pace was steady, but I felt like that could change any second. My eyes kept flickering over to it, to make sure it was actually working. The rising and falling of Noah's chest was the only confirmation that mattered to me.

It was already dark outside, but I had forgotten the exact time. It was definitely past midnight, that I knew. Not that time mattered right now. It was just a worthless thing these people hold onto.

After Deanna appeared and demanded an explanation about what was going on, I had just pushed Nicholas away. He was going to be the one to tell the story. He could be the one to tell Deanna how he'd tried to escape, leave us behind. How he'd gotten Noah bitten. I thought it would maybe make him realise what he had done. The only thing I didn't expect, is that he'd tell a different story. He twisted the whole thing around, blaming us for what had happened to Noah, to Tara. To Aiden. How I hadn't helped Aiden when I could have. How I practically pushed him towards the walkers.

I wanted to slit the man's throat, I wanted him to realise what he had done. But this wasn't up to me. We were part of a community now. Plus, I wanted Noah to be the one to choose. If he wanted Nicholas alive than I'd listen to his request. If he didn't want the man breathing, I'd happily listen to that too.

Noah was paler than usual. His breaths were slow but steady. His heart rate also had a decent rhythm but was still too slow for Pete's liking.

I had never actually met Pete before this. At first glance, he seemed like an alright guy, but when I saw him walking around here today, I started to doubt myself a bit. He was looking for a certain type of medicine, he was strutting around, cursing and blaming everyone but himself. When I offered to help he snapped at me, grabbing me by my arm way too tight. I had quickly pulled away, before he could do anything else. That hadn't been the best moment for me, the Governor had flashed before my eyes and I needed to walk away for a second. To calm myself down.

I looked down at the mark that was now turning into a bruise. I was alone in the infirmary. Of course, it was midnight and no one was really needed here. Pete had apologised later, but I just brushed him off. I wasn't interested in his apology, but I also didn't like how scared he'd made me feel in those few seconds. I let out a sigh and rubbed my thumb against the bruise that looked too much like an actual handprint or my liking.

When the door of the infirmary opened, I quickly covered up my bruise again, preventing anyone from seeing it. Glenn walked through, his eyes flickering to me and Noah. I attempted to smile at him, but both of us knew that it wasn't real.

Glenn grabbed another chair from somewhere behind me and sat down on it.

We just sat there in silence. None of us really knew what to say. There wasn't really anything to say. Noah's condition was steady. That was all there was to say about it. No one knew what would happen. Apparently, his body was channelling all its energy to keeping the heart pumping and the organs working, so keeping the mind awake wasn't its biggest priority.

My head was leaning against the wall next to me. Next to the annoying heart monitor that was still beeping regularly.

Daryl had attempted to get me to bed. To get me back to the house. He said I needed my sleep, but I wasn't tired at all, so sleeping wouldn't be in the picture for me anyway. When Daryl wanted to stay I refused. He did need his sleep. He was getting a job soon, I just knew it.

I wasn't sure why he hadn't gotten one already. Daryl was a very talented man in this world. He could do a lot of things for this community. He could hunt, track, skin animals, teach people how to fight, and so on.

I doubted that Daryl was asleep right now. Just like Glenn and I. I wanted to go to him, I wanted to lie down next to him and feel his body against mine. But it didn't matter what I wanted right now. Leaving Noah wasn't an option, it would be horrible if he woke up in the middle of the night without someone around him. Pete told us that wasn't even an option. Someone needed to watch over him, he couldn't be alone.

''What did Maggie say?'' I spoke up, raising my head to look at him.

''She agrees.'' He said, his eyes flickering over to me. ''She thinks you've done the right thing. With Noah and with Nicholas.'' There was a moment of silence, where I didn't know what to say.

''I think so too,'' Glenn added. I knew he thought I had made the right choice, by not killing Nicholas. Especially not there.

''I wanted to,'' I mumbled, not looking at Glenn. Instead, my eyes glanced over to Noah again. I tried to copy the rise and fall of his chest, hoping it would calm me down a bit.

''Me too,'' Glenn admitted and my eyes snapped over to his in surprise. I knew Glenn hated Nicholas, but at this point who didn't? But I never really thought of him as a murderer. When Glenn saw the look on my face he breathed a humourless chuckle.

"I did." He continued, his face had turned serious again and you could see he was thinking back to that moment. "There was a moment I wanted you to do it." He looked down, as if he was ashamed of admitting this.

"But I didn't." I stared at Noah, unsure what emotion was mixed with that statement. Disappointment, relief? I felt a hand on my shoulder and even though I knew who it was, I lifted my head up to meet his eyes.

"I didn't because of you." I spoke, there was no accusing tone in my voice. It was gratitude. It wasn't my place to decide that man's life. Maybe it wasn't even Noah's. But thanks to Glenn, I'll have time to think about it.

"Come here." Glenn mumbled and he wrapped his arms around me in an engulfing hug. I copied his movements and wrapped my arms around his torso, leaning my head against his shoulder. Glenn's hugs were warm, friendly, trusting. That was one that I needed right now

We sat there for a few seconds, just accepting each other. Before we both pulled away. I turned back to Noah and grabbed his hand that was placed above the covers.

"It's gonna be alright." I mumbled to him, "You're gonna be alright." I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince Noah, Glenn or myself. But it helped, I believed Noah would be fine. Noah's been through a lot more than this.

I remember the story he told me back at Grady Memorial Hospital. The story of how he got his right leg injured by a group of walkers. I wondered if his dad was still walking around, there was a slight possibility he made it out alive. But the chances were very slim.

My eyes glanced over at Noah's right foot, that was now just a stump. Noah was lucky that the walkers bit his already injured foot. Otherwise, there might have been a chance he'd never walk again. I almost laughed humourlessly at myself. Noah was _lucky_. It's not what I'd call luck. The bandages around his leg were slightly red. They'd been able to stop the bleeding eventually, but not before he bled through several cloths and bandages.

I let go of Noah's hand, placing it beside him. I leant back against the wall again. My eyes were still focussed on the boy. The 19-year-old boy. The boy who still had a whole life before him. He had so many chances and opportunities in front of him. He still had to face so many adventures. He didn't deserve this.

I didn't know when I closed my eyes, but when I opened them again Glenn was gone. Instead, Daryl was sitting in the spot Glenn was previously in. I slowly turned my head to get a better look at him.

The sun was slowly starting to rise, making me believe I slept a lot longer than I originally thought. Noah's body was still motionless. So practically, nothing had changed.

Except for the man beside me.

"Good morning," I mumbled while yawning. I rubbed my face lazily, trying to wake up a bit more.

"Mornin'" Was his response and when I looked up at him, I saw him staring at Noah. His eyes flickered over to me really quick before going back to Noah. It seemed like both of us weren't sure what to say. There wasn't really anything to talk about. Actually, I was wrong, there were plenty of topics to talk about, all of them unpleasant.

Daryl's face was filled with concern, but I had expected him to look at Noah with that look. Instead, his eyes were directed towards me. His gaze steady as he studied me. I felt slightly uncomfortable as his eyes scanned my face up and down. I stared back at him, trying not to show him how exposed he made me feel. This was Daryl we were talking about. So I knew he wasn't making me feel this way on purpose.

"How long did ya sleep?" He asked me, and I wondered if I had dark circles under my eyes that betrayed me. I hadn't had a chance to take a look in the mirror yet, so I had no idea what I looked like right now.

I shrugged as a response to his question. It felt like I had slept a few hours, but it could easily have been a few minutes. My mind wasn't cooperating with the sense of time, so it was hard to determine how long I had actually slept.

Daryl opened his mouth to argue with me, but the door to the infirmary opened. Reg came walking inside. He glanced at me and Daryl, giving us a polite nod before sitting down next to the opposite side of the bed. I noticed he was holding a particular object in his hand. Noah's notebook. Reg placed it on the bedside table, leaving it there for when Noah would wake up.

I realised Reg would probably want to be alone with Noah for a minute. It had been a while since I left this room and even though I knew the fresh air would do me good, I was nervous about leaving the infirmary. I didn't want to leave the boy, scared something would happen while I wasn't there to help him. But I forced myself to say goodbye to Reg and go outside with Daryl. Reg thanked us politely as we left him alone with Noah.

When I stepped outside, I breathed in the fresh air. The smell and coldness of the air was exciting and for a second I didn't feel guilty about leaving the building. It was warm today. I could already feel a small layer of sweat and my shirt was sticking to my skin.

I looked at Daryl, really looked at him. He was tired. The dark circles under his eyes proved my theory. I don't think he slept any better than I did last night. I wondered if I had come to bed, that would have helped. The sudden guilt hit me hard. I had left Daryl alone last night, all on his own. It wouldn't have surprised me if Daryl would have stayed awake, worrying about everything.

He wasn't looking at me, his gaze was set on the view before us. A few people were walking around in the early morning. Some of them were walking their dog, smiling at the creature before them. It felt uncomfortable, the normality here. While Noah and Tara were inside they were just roaming around, acting like nothing was wrong. For a split second, they reminded me of walkers. They were just living, not thinking about anything. Just because they were too afraid to face the truth.

I wanted to talk to Daryl, tell him how guilty I felt. How I wanted him to be here, to stay. But I knew all of us had jobs to do. Daryl couldn't stay by my side all the time, there were things to do in this community and Daryl would get his job soon.

I started to come up with several ways to start a conversation with Daryl, so that the awkward tension would go away, when Rick came up to us.

''Hey, you guys okay?'' He asked, his eyes lingering on me. He was wearing his officer uniform. Rick always walked around with a certain air around him, as if he had the upper hand. The uniform multiplied that air. It seemed like he was the actual authority now. Which he was. But this was different. He acted like he was the leader.

The situation reminded me of when I was at the hospital in Richmond. Dawn was in charge, but it seemed like several other people thought they were leading the group. The only thing that would cause was trouble. And it worried me.

I nodded in response and Daryl did too. We both didn't elaborate on the question, knowing none of us were really okay.

''How's Noah?'' He asked, this time his question was directed to me. Which lead me to believe he knew I had spent the night in there, maybe he'd been talking to Daryl.

''He's stable.'' Was the only thing I could say. Rick nodded, relieved by my answer.

''Aubrey, can I-'' There was a slight pause of barely a second before he continued, '' Can I talk to you for a second?'' My eyes flickered over to Daryl, wondering if he knew what this was about. His eyes seemed to be as surprised as I was.

''Sure,'' I said unsure, before following him down to the space in between the houses. Rick looked around real quick, making sure we were alone before turning back to me.

''Roll up your sleeve.'' He said and I froze slightly. Suddenly on edge. I knew why he asked, I just didn't want to show it to him, nor talk about it. Still, I sighed and rolled up my left sleeve.

The mark had gone from bad to worse. The red handprint had turned blue and yellow, making it obvious it wasn't an accident. There was no way I could tell people it was an accident, the blue fingerprints were visible on my arm and even rolling up my sleeve made it ache slightly.

''It's fine Rick, I swear.'' I tried to reassure him. Rick softly grabbed my wrist and turned my arm so he could have a better view of the bruise.

''Who did this?'' His whole posture had tensed and his eyebrows were furrowed. His eyes had a certain look in it that I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end.

''It doesn't matter, I-''

''Who did it.'' He interrupted me. I sighed, biting my lip slightly as I knew I had lost. Rick wasn't going to leave unless he knew who had done it.

''It was Pete,'' I muttered. ''How did you find out?'' I asked him. His eyes flickered up from my arm to my eyes.

''Glenn saw you. You were rolling down your sleeve, but he'd already seen a glimpse of it.'' He let go of my arm, leaning back a bit. ''He wasn't sure so he told me about it.''

''Of course,'' I muttered. I wasn't mad at him. I probably would have done the same thing if I was in his shoes.

''Does Daryl know?'' I scoffed at his question. Hoping it wasn't too loud for anyone else to hear.

''No he doesn't,'' I answered, ''And he's not going to.'' Rick opened his mouth. Clearly to object to my statement, but I beat him to it. ''We just got here. I'm not gonna stir things up. Pete did it accidentally.'' I lied to him, but still continued talking. ''I can handle it.''

Rick's jaw tensed up for a second as he gritted his teeth. He was clearly not on board with my idea of handling this, which was not handling it. But he seemed to let it go.

''He has a wife, Jesse.'' Rick spoke up, ''What if he hits her too?'' His question surprised me. I hadn't thought about that. I didn't know he had a wife. If he hit her too, that changed the whole scenario. I pressed my lips together, thinking about my options. Rick tried to keep his face nonchalant, but I noticed the slight twinkle in his eyes that showed his worry. Why did Rick care so much about this woman?

''I'll ask her. Or maybe I could ask someone else in the community.'' I offered, not really wanting to. But I knew that I had to. Just to find out what was really going on inside those walls. This was such a different world than outside. I sighed, rubbing my hand along my face quickly before averting my eyes back to Rick.

''I'll figure something out.'' I told him, he nodded in approval. Accepting my answer for now.

We walked back together, towards Daryl. Who was still standing in the exact same spot we left him. For a second, I was scared he had been listening, but Daryl's face didn't hold a particular emotion, except curiosity. Rick gave both of us a nod. Mine was filled with a knowing look, before he wandered off. I followed his figure until he turned a corner and was out of view.

I wasn't sure what to think about the situation. I wished Glenn had just asked me about it instead of telling Rick. Although I also knew that Glenn wasn't really comfortable with being blunt like that. Still, I had to talk to Glenn about the matter. Then there was Jesse and Pete. I wasn't excited to ask around. Of course, I was going to ask Jesse first and then, if I had some suspicions about her answer, I'd ask Deanna, or maybe her neighbours. Pete wasn't an option. That man had scared me last night, and just openly accusing him of such a thing probably wouldn't end well for me.

''What was that all about?'' Daryl asked me, he tried to act nonchalant, but I knew he was curious. The grip in his crossbow had tightened just slightly, barely enough to notice. And his eyes kept flickering over to my face.

''Rick suspects Pete is hitting Jesse, his wife.'' I mumbled and Daryl's face hardened. His eyebrows furrowed and his lips were pressed together in a tight line. ''He wants me to talk to Jesse.''

Daryl turned my way, facing me as he took in my expression. His gaze was intense as he studied my face, trying to figure out what I was thinking. ''You don't gotta if you don't want to.'' He told me, taking a step forward. I placed my hands on his chest slowly, not to keep him away, but just to acknowledge that he was there.

''I know, but I want to.'' I said, suddenly feeling the bruise on my left arm. I tried not to touch it or fold my arms, knowing Daryl would pick up on it. Daryl gave me a face that told me he didn't believe me in the slightest.

''I do, I promise!'' I tried to convince him. I sighed immediately after I said that. It wasn't a lie, not really. I wanted to help Jesse, I wanted to stop Pete. But, ''I'm just nervous.'' I added, which was the truth. I hated lying to Daryl. About all of this. He should know about Pete and the reason why Rick asked me. But I didn't want to burden him any further,

''Okay,'' He mumbled. There were a few seconds of silence. At first, I thought he was going to kiss me. I wanted him to. So when the seconds passed and he still didn't do anything, I started to lean in slightly. Right at that moment, Daryl took a step back. Confusion spread across my face as I watched him distance himself from me.

''Daryl what-''

''I need to tell ya something.'' He started. My world stopped for a second, every possible scenario went through my minds. Horrible things, to less horrible things, to even good things. I think the panic was clear in my eyes, but I didn't say anything. I waited for him to speak. He opened his mouth to say something. Doubt, clear in his eyes. He leaned forward slightly, took a deep breath in- when Reg came walking out the house.

''Hey,'' He said, hobbling down the small stairs in front of the house. ''You can go back in if you want.'' His eyes were slightly red, from crying, but furthermore, he looked normal. He seemed to be holding it together pretty good.

''Thanks,'' I told him, a bit annoyed that he had interrupted Daryl. Fortunately, Reg didn't pick up on this little fact and continued his walk home without even a hint of suspicion at our state. Daryl looked about ready to burst with nerves and my nerves had changed into annoyance the second Reg stepped out the house. My arms were folded together now as I turned back to Daryl.

''What were you going to say?'' I tried again, but the moment was gone. Daryl had lost his courage to tell me. I could see it, he had let it go already.

''Nothin''' He mumbled, but I took a step forward to him.

''Please tell me.'' I begged him, ''I have a feeling I need to know this.'' I told him. He fiddled with his hands and bit his nails as he thought about it. But after a few seconds, he dropped his hands in defeat and took a deep breath.

''I'm leavin'''

* * *

 **So, yeah. Cliffhanger? Kind of?**

 **I wanted to thank you for all the reviews, follows and favourites I got. You guys are the best.**

ALSO **I wanted to respond to a review by**

 ** _galwidanatitud:_** I would have killed Nicholas in a heartbeat.

 **I just wanted to explain to everyone that, yes, Aubrey also would have killed Nicholas in a heartbeat if it was up to her. But she's starting over, this is a second chance for her. An attempt to do things in a more civilized way. To find peace in all the noise (see what I did there ;) ) Anyway, I thought I'd elaborate on my decision to keep Nicholas alive.**

 **Thank you galwidanatitud and everyone else for reviewing :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'll edit this when I actually have time :P.** Also **I'm going to update on Sunday from now on. I just don't have the time on Saturday. Anyways, enjoy ;)**

* * *

Daryl was leaving. He had been asked by Aaron to be the second recruit. According to Aaron, Daryl was a perfect fit. He knew what it was like out there, he knew the difference between a good person and a bad person and he didn't like being locked inside Alexandria.

I knew this because I had paid Aaron a visit. At first, I went to him to be angry. To yell at him. How dare he take Daryl away? He just got to safety, things were good between us. He needed this.

But when I arrived and Aaron remained calm and explained it to me, I knew he was right. I had always known this to be honest. I knew Daryl wasn't and wouldn't be happy if he stayed here, locked up inside a house. Forced to be civil. That wasn't Daryl. I just didn't want him to go, to risk his life out there. But I also knew he had to. So after I talked to Aaron about it. He knew exactly how I felt. He wanted Eric to stay home and stop risking his life out there.

But I knew this was Daryl's decision, if he had made the choice to go. I couldn't stop him, so I'd support him.

That night we were both sitting downstairs in the living room. Carl was sitting in his room, Rick was patrolling outside with Michonne and Olivia was god knows where. She'd do that a lot nowadays. She'd just disappear and not come back until dark. I knew she was leaving Alexandria, wandering around the perimeter. I was worried about her, a few days ago she finally seemed to be doing well. But now I wasn't so sure anymore.

I was standing in the living room, while Daryl was sitting on the couch. My arms were folded over each other and I was biting my lip in concentration. I was thinking about the situation, how life would be like without Daryl. It was almost unimaginable, even though it had already happened for me. The first days with only Judith had been one of the worst days of my life. I was alone, with no idea how to take of the little baby that had been my responsibility. I remember missing Daryl so much, even though we didn't really have anything yet.

I knew Daryl felt bad for leaving, not only me, but everyone. He felt like he was abandoning the group. But I assured him that this was the best choice for him, no one blamed him. We all understood.

This was Daryl's last day in Alexandria for God know's how long. I hoped he would return soon, but I had to consider the fact that it may be weeks before we would see him again.

I turned my head to look at the room we had grown accustomed to. Our group had made this house, our house. We hadn't moved anything, but we had taken all the family pictures away. That had been a rough day, it felt as if we were stealing somebody else's house. Like we had taken it from someone.

The books that were placed on the shelves were unfamiliar to me. There was only one book that was actually 'mine', the Jane Eyre book that I had found in the shed. I had placed it on the shelve next to the unknown books, hoping that maybe one day I have read all of them. Besides the bookcase was something else that caught my eye. I had seen it before but never fully paid attention to it.

A record player was placed on a cabinet next to the books and under it were several LP's. I glanced at Daryl really quick before walking over to the cabinet. I knelt down so I could see the title of the vinyl records. It had been a while since I'd seen a record player. The vinyl records were all unfamiliar to me, except one. I smiled slightly to myself at the memories of this song, before putting it on the record player. I turned it on and within seconds the familiar melody started to play.

I turned around to face Daryl when the voice joined in with the music.

' _White men say only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you_.'

Daryl almost groaned as he realized which song he was listening to, but I was far too excited to care. I grinned up at him and slowly started to sing along, with my terrible voice.

''Shall I stay, would it be a sin?'' I sang as I walked over to him, holding out my hand. His gaze flickered over to my hand for a second and then back to me before he shook his head.

''Uh-oh, I don't dance.'' He said, visibly starting to grow more and more uncomfortable. He started shifting in his seat on the couch, glancing everywhere around the room. I almost giggled at his childlike behavior.

''Please?'' I begged him, not singing along anymore. ''I'll be the only one who'll see you dance.'' I held out my hand again and as if on cue, Elvis Presley started to sing

 _'Take my hand, take my whole life too_ '

I grinned at the coincidence and looked over at the record player. I didn't know why I looked at the player, I guess just as an automated response. But when I suddenly felt a warm hand in mine, I almost jumped. My head turned back to Daryl and saw him getting up with a sigh. Even though he was making it clear, he didn't want to be here, I still grinned at his compliance.

I led Daryl to the middle of the room, so we had enough space and wouldn't trip or bump into the furniture. My hands went around Daryl's neck, my arms gently resting on his shoulder as I stared into his eyes. Daryl's hand awkwardly went around my waist. He was tense, which was no surprise to me. I was already shocked he'd actually gotten off the couch to dance with me.

I closed my eyes, just to listen to the song that brought up so many memories for me. I thought about my mother, who would always sing along to this song. Her voice was so pretty, I used to be able to listen to it for hours. I remember her tucking me into bed, singing this song to me. Unwanted tears sprung in my eyes, but for the first time, they were actually tears of happiness.

When I opened my eyes again, I was stunned. Daryl's eyes held so much intensity, so much emotion. The blue eyes had me transfixed. He was telling me everything with those eyes. I couldn't even process the moment, he was staring at me as if I was the only thing in the world. He was the only one who had ever made me feel like that. He didn't say a word and neither did I. We both just relished in the moment. His hands around my waist, slightly gripped my shirt. My fingers ran through his hair and at that moment I realized something incredibly important.

I loved Daryl Dixon.

The thought scared me, terrified me even. Because what did it mean to love somebody? Did Daryl love me? What if we both felt something different? This was Daryl we were talking about. Even if he did love somebody, the chances of him actually admitting those feeling were incredibly small.

I think Daryl could sense my thoughts derailing because within the second I could feel his lips crashing on mine. I gasped in surprise at his action and arched my back so I could reach him even better. Our lips moved in sync with each other and for a second I couldn't believe he was mine. This guy was mine. Daryl's teeth gently bit my bottom lip and I couldn't hold back the moan that escaped my lips. My hands gripped his hair, frustrated by his teasing and I could feel him smile against me.

I hadn't even noticed the fact that the vinyl record had stopped. Elvis Presley had stopped his singing, the only thing that was audible right now was our breathing and the sounds of our lips crashing against each other.

My hands left Daryl's hair and instinctively pulled off the sleeveless jacket he was wearing, it was off in no time and things were starting to get heated. I was panting, by the lack of air and the beating of my heart. I felt his muscles, his shoulders, his skin. My hands glided up and down his arms as his went under my shirt.

His cool hands against my hot skin made me gasp again. His fingers trailing upwards on my back made me shiver and I didn't know how fast I pulled my shirt over my head. So now I was left in my bra and I went over to peel Daryl's shirt off, only his shirt had buttons.

I pulled away quickly to groan at the fact his shirt had buttons.

''Really?'' I joked, gesturing to his shirt. He chuckled and leaned forward again, my lips happily met his with a smile as I tried to unbutton his shirt while still being attached to Daryl.

When I was halfway to getting his shirt off, the door opened. Both of us flew apart within second and while Daryl was still, kinda, dressed. I hastily tried to pry my shirt from the floor and put it on again. Only I found I was having more difficulty with this than I had expected. Because of my impatience and nervousness, I kept dropping the shirt or holding it wrong.

We heard a tiny gasp followed by an 'oh shit' coming from the person who had just barged in.

Daryl, being the gentleman that he was, stepped in front of me and helped me get into my clothes. My face felt hot from the blush that had crept into it and I hastily tried to make myself presentable, with Daryl's help.

In the door stood Glenn, his face was also red with embarrassment like mine and I could only imagine the way we looked right now. My shirt was still half ridden up, my lips were swollen and I was panting. Daryl didn't look any better. His hair was pointed in every direction and the expression would have made me laugh if I wasn't feeling the exact same way.

When Glenn had stepped in Daryl and I had jumped apart from each other and we were now acting as if nothing had happened.

''Sorry guys, I didn't know you were-'' He started, but Daryl interrupted him.

''Whadda ya want?'' There was a hint of annoyance in his tone and his brows were furrowed because of the same reason.

''Noah's awake.'' The second those words left his mouth, my expression changed. My eyes widened with shock and I glanced at Daryl for a moment before bolting out the door, both men behind me.

I couldn't believe it, he was awake. There was a slight pang of disappointment at the fact that I wasn't present in the room when he had woken, but the excitement and nervousness conquered the feeling quickly. My heart had gone back to pounding inside my chest and I was sweating. Noah was alive, he was gonna be fine.

As soon as I had arrived at the house, I slowed down my pace. Letting the excitement fade away and be replaced with the reality of it all.

Noah was in there. What if he was angry we cut off his leg? I knew he said to 'Do it', but it had been in a spur of the moment. What if he regretted the decision? What if we were too late and the infection was still spreading? Wouldn't he have been feverish by now? The infection worked differently on everyone.

Glenn and Daryl were beside me, the latter placing a hand on my lower back. My eyes flickered over to him. Our gazes met and for a second neither of us said anything. Then, Daryl nodded and slightly pushed me forward in an attempt to give me courage.

I let out a soft breath before opening the door.

Noah's bed was the first one I saw. He was sitting upright, his expression positive even though he didn't look like it. My eyes flickered over to the place where his leg used to be. Pete was standing next to his bed and I tried not to tense up at the sight of him.

Pete had this peculiar air around him. An air that made him hard to trust. He seemed nice at first glance, but he was sly. He was definitely hiding something and I thought back to Rick.

'He has a wife, Jesse. What if he hits her too?'

I narrowed my eyes at him, as if it would help me figure him out. That's the moment Pete chose to look up. His gaze was neutral when he raised his head, but when he saw my expression that changed. His face fell and for a second his expression changed into something I couldn't describe. It was too fast for me to actually take a good look at, but it gave me goosebumps from head to toe. My instinct was telling me to immediately shoot the guy, get the threat out of the way.

But I knew it would only cause trouble. If I was going to shoot this guy, I would need a reason and an explanation. So I'd just have to wait. For now.

My eyes snapped over to Glenn who had caught the look Pete was sending me. His expression went from worried to annoyed within seconds, realizing what was going on. I said nothing and did not react in any way. I ignored Daryl's glare as I walked over to Noah.

If Glenn had caught on, Daryl definitely had. I doubt he would let it slide. But I pushed the thought away, focussing on Noah now.

''Hey,'' I said, sitting next to him on the bed. ''How do you feel?'' I fiddled my hands together in an attempt to prevent everyone from seeing my shaky hands. I pulled one leg up and leaned my chin no it as I watched Noah carefully.

There were dark circles under his eye and his skin was pale. The movements he made were slow and cautious, as if he was scared he'd break anything. Despite his physical condition, he was smiling and his eyes had a positive twinkle in them.

''Like I got my foot chopped off.'' He laughed, but I couldn't help the flinch that rippled through me. That was my fault. He lost his leg because of me. If I'd just broken the glass a little bit sooner. If I would have stopped Nicolas he'd still have his two legs.

''I'll be fine.'' He assured me. His hand reaching out to me. I hesitantly took it, our fingers intertwined in a supportive way.

''Thanks'' I mouthed to him, knowing Glenn and Daryl wouldn't be able to see my response. The lump in my throat was forced down as I swallowed. I attempted a smile, but it felt fake. Though Noah still gave me a beaming smile back. ''I got your notebook,'' I said, speaking up again. I reached to his bedside table and grabbed the black-bound book. There was still red coating most of the pages. I had tried to wipe away as much as possible to save the book, but it hadn't really worked. ''I found it in the van, I hope you can still use it.'' I handed the book to him and he gladly took it, flipping through the empty pages.

He didn't even seem bothered by the blood stains. A grin started to form on his face as he read the first line again.

''Thanks,'' He spoke, ''This really is a new beginning.''

* * *

 **Thoughts?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited etc. I read all of the reviews and if you have any idea for season 6,7 or 8 I'd love to hear it :D**

* * *

The next day I was standing by the gates of Alexandria. My side was leaning against one of the tin walls surrounding the area. My eyes were focussed on Daryl as he talked to Rick for a bit. His eyes would sometimes flicker over to me, acknowledging my presence. He didn't smile at me. I didn't smile either.

There was nothing to smile about right now. Daryl was leaving and none of us knew for how long. My gaze flickered over to Aaron who was talking to his boyfriend, Eric. Eric had been nice to me so far. We didn't really have a full-on conversation yet, but I could see Eric becoming a possible friend.

Rick and Daryl exchanged a quick pat on the back before both of them started to walk towards the gate, where I was.

When they arrived I immediately stepped forward to him to engulf him in a hug. He let me wrap my arms around his body and rested his head against my shoulder. There weren't enough words to tell him how badly I wanted him to stay. But I knew Daryl needed time out there. Time to adjust to this crazy world inside the walls. Aaron knew how he felt, which is why he asked Daryl to join him. I couldn't be more thankful to Aaron for giving him this opportunity to still be himself. To not adapt to the 'normal' life everyone was living here.

But it'd be hard. I felt as if I was sending him off to war. While I, the housewife, had to stay at home. Both of us knew it wasn't the case, but it still felt like it.

I forced the tears back, not giving them a chance to show. My ear was on his chest and I could feel his heart beating. It was fast but steady. My hands were resting on his back and I gripped his shirt tightly, wanting to savor the moment.

His arms slid away and his hands cupped my cheek. I slowly pulled away from him, just a bit, so I could look into his eyes. The blue orbs showed a couple of emotions, but none of them really stood out. He was good at hiding it like that.

He leaned forward, letting our lips barely graze each other for a few seconds before I pulled him against me. Our lips crashed into each other in a passionate kiss, but only for a few seconds. I tried to tell him everything in that moment.

When I pulled away, I only said one thing. ''Get back home safe.'' He nodded. My lips involuntarily started to tremble and I bit my bottom one harshly, in an attempt to stop the shaking. He placed a kiss on my forehead and lingered there. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling. But way too soon, it was gone again. And I opened my eyes, knowing that he really needed to go.

I forced a small smile and Daryl offered me a nod, before walking away with Aaron. My arms crossed over my chest and my hands clenched into fists. I pushed my emotions down, trying not to be sad. For Daryl. He didn't need to see it. I was afraid I'd make him stay, I didn't want him to stay because of me. I didn't want his pity.

I stood next to Rick as Daryl grabbed his motorcycle and Aaron stepped inside his car. The gate was opened by Spencer, who was on guard duty that day. Daryl's bike roared to life and his head turned back to look at me once more before he drove off.

I waited there until the gate closed again and there was no way to see them anymore. I ignored the feeling in my stomach, the feeling of doom. As if I was sending him to his death. My eyes flickered over to Rick, who had been waiting there. I turned my body and followed Rick back to the house.

''It's Daryl.'' Rick spoke up, placing one hand on my shoulder, ''He'll be okay.'' I nodded trying to stay positive.

''I trust Daryl,'' I said, looking up at him. ''And Aaron.'' Was added after a few moments of silence. ''I just don't trust the world.''

* * *

The next morning, I was facing the front door, my heart was pounding and my hands were sweaty. I rubbed them across my jeans in an attempt to get rid of the moist feeling. After a few seconds, the door slowly opened. Only a little bit at first, but when they saw who it was, they opened the door fully.

In front of me was a little boy, no older than 12. His light brown hair was cute in a way that some would call a coconut head. It made his ears stand out more and his head frame looked longer. His eyes were that of a deer caught in a headlight, but his eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.

''What are you doing here?'' He asked, standing in the doorway. One arm holding the door and the other limply by his side.

I forced a fake smile, acting as if nothing was going on. ''Hi sweety, is your mom around?'' I asked, leaning my hands on my knees and bowing a bit so we were more or less the same height. ''I just need to ask her something.''

''What do you want to ask her?'' He said with the same voice. He obviously didn't trust me, which struck me as odd. He didn't just seem wary of me, he full on didn't trust me. Which was quite unusual for the children in Alexandria.

Before I could answer his question, a woman appeared at the door. I straightened up again and looked at the mother.

I had seen her around before. She had been talking to Rick a couple of times. Now that I thought about it, I had also seen her with Pete. I just never really made the connection. Pete didn't strike me as the type to have a wife or kids. This woman was pretty, she seemed younger than Pete. Her blonde hair was straight and falling down her shoulders, her skin was still as flawless as it probably had been a decade ago and her eyes were pretty and big.

Though her face had the same expression as her child. The distrust on her face was obvious as she took me in, noticing I was from Rick's group, from the outside. Her lips were slightly pursed together as she looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed in wariness.

''Hi, I'm Aubrey.'' I said, extending my hand.

She shook it, giving me a fake smile.

''Jesse,'' She said. ''Come in.'' She stepped away from the door to let me in. I glanced around quickly, trying to check if anyone saw me. My eyes fell on Rick, who was standing a few houses away, watching us. I gave him a firm nod and disappeared into the house before I could see his response.

The house was just like ours. The interior was pretty modern and everything looked like it would have been expensive back in the day. While I acted as if I was interested in her decor, Jesse turned to her son.

''Sam, go to your room.'' He nodded and left the room, leaving me alone with Jesse.

''Jesse,'' I started, but stopped. I hadn't thought about this. How was I going to introduce the subject? 'Hey, is your husband hitting you?' So instead of saying anything, I took a deep breath and rolled up my sleeve. For some reason, the bruise had even gotten worse. The yellow and purple marks that resembled the fingerprints looked painful. And when I looked up at Jesse to take in her facial expression. She gasped softly.

Within seconds tears sprung to her eyes as she stared at the mark on my arm. I imagined her having several of these on her body and couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine. Who knew what that man had done to her?

''When did he-?'' She started, but couldn't finish her sentence. Her throat closed up, preventing her from speaking. Even though she probably didn't realize it, she had just confirmed the suspicions from Rick and I. It had been Pete. And from her reaction, this wasn't new to her.

''This needs to stop, Jesse.'' I spoke, pulling my sleeve back down. ''He needs to stop.''

Her eyes snapped over to mine. Her expression had changed. Tears were still slowly pouring out of her eyes and her breaths were short, but her expression was denial, stubbornness.

''It'll get better.'' She told me. She had subconsciously pushed her shoulders back in an attempt to look more powerful than she actually felt. ''I can help him.''

My hands clenched into fists and for a few seconds, I wished I had told Daryl. He was the one who had been through a similar situation. He knew what to tell her. Who was I to tell her what to do and what was right? I had never been in her position. But I did know that this wasn't right. He was hurting her, what could be right about that?

''That's the thing. I don't think you can. I don't think anyone can.'' I attempted. I forced my fists to relax, knowing that it could possibly freak her out.

My heart was pounding in my chest. Partly from the fear of Pete returning from the infirmary and partly from the hope that Jesse would agree, or the fear that she wouldn't. That'd she'd throw me out in a fit of rage. The sweaty hands hadn't ceased and I was subconsciously wiping my hands on my pants again.

Maybe Rick should have done this, I had no idea what his experience was with these kinds of things. But he used to be a cop, he knew how to talk to people. I was just a woman who used to sit in a cubicle all day and talk to people whose problems were about as small as the amount of money I received. I forced those thoughts aside. You were here now. Might as well try.

''He's dangerous-'' I started again, but she caught me off.

''Stop it. Just stop it.'' She shook her head in frustration and ran a hand through her hair. ''You'll only make it worse.''

''No,'' I disagreed with her, ''If you help, we can do this right.'' I took a small step towards her, trying to change her mind. She let out a humorless laugh as she looked at me.

''What are you gonna do to him?'' She retorted, ''You're gonna kill him? Is that what you're gonna do?'' She said, her face laughed but there was no serious humor in there whatsoever. I realized how tired she looked. The dark circles under her eyes seemed more visible now that she was slowly breaking. I opened my mouth to say something but she beat me to it,

''Did Rick put you up to this?'' She pointed a finger in my direction, one eyebrow rose as she spoke. Mixed emotions were laced in her voice as she spoke about Rick. And suddenly it hit me. Why Rick cared so much about Jesse. Why Jesse sounded like that when she spoke about Rick. I had been so oblivious, of course, they liked each other.

''Does it matter?'' I asked her. For a few seconds, there was silence. I knew it mattered, to her it did. But I didn't know to what degree it mattered and in what way. Her face broke for a moment, showing how vulnerable she felt before it hardened.

''You need to get out'' She said, her voice stern.

''But-''

''Get out.'' She repeated and I knew I had to listen. Within seconds I was back outside again. A bit dumbfounded about what just happened.

We literally went nowhere with that conversation. But I did find out one thing. Pete _was_ beating his wife. I stood out on the porch for a few seconds, pondering my next move.

I turned my head to look for Rick. He wasn't at the same spot he was in before I went inside. He was talking to Glenn. His eye caught mine and he said something to Glenn before he too turned my way. I was planning to make my way towards them when something in the corner of my eye moved.

At the side of Jesse's house, stood the little boy. He was peering up at me through his bangs. I wasn't sure what he wanted. Maybe he wanted to talk, maybe he was just observing me. But nevertheless, I changed direction and headed towards him instead.

He didn't run away when I approached him, but his posture changed. His shoulder sank down and his eyes flickered to the ground in a way of avoiding eye contact.

''Hi, I never got your name.'' I said, crouching down so we were on the same level. I extended my hand in a polite manner and after a few seconds of hesitation, his hand softly grasped mine.

'S-Sam.'' He mumbled, almost inaudible.

''Nice to meet you, Sam. I'm Aubrey.''

''I know who you are.'' He spoke, gaining a bit more confidence. I raised an eyebrow at his comment. ''You're with the guy who has a crossbow. The silent one.'' I ignored his words and instead focused on why I was here.

''What are you doing here? Do you want to tell me something?'' Sam seemed to be pondering something. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration as his mind was somewhere else.

''I heard you and mom talking.'' A few seconds of silence before he spoke up again. ''Do you want to help my dad? Or are you gonna hurt him?''

I opened my mouth to say something but closed it. Not knowing how to answer. The obvious answer was the latter, but I needed the kid to cooperate. Maybe we were even going to help Pete. We didn't necessarily need to kill him, but I knew that was the only option for Rick. There could be another way. We could lock him up, help him. Try to find a psychiatrist.

''We're gonna do what's best for you and your mom.'' Was my final answer. Figuring it was the better response. Sam seemed to accept this answer and opened his mouth to start talking.

''My mom- She built a lock inside my closet, tells me to hide in there and wait until the morning to come out.'' His eyes connected with mine, before glancing down at the ground again. ''I hear them yelling, things breaking. My mom is always crying.'' A few tears formed in Sam's eyes. He looked up, staring me in the eyes for the first time.

''Can I have a gun?'' He suddenly asked. My eyes widened slightly and I was sure my heart stopped beating.

''Why?''

''What is going on here?''

Goosebumps arrived on my skin when the voice reached my ears. I immediately shot up, spinning around. My hand automatically went to my belt, where my handgun used to be, only to find it empty. I dropped my hand in an attempt to cover up. I stepped in front of Sam, protecting him.

Pete came walking over, staggering a bit. He was drunk. He had a smile on his face, but not a real one.

''What are y'all doing?'' It sounded threatening, cautious. I took me a second to find my voice, annoyed at the pang of fear that stroke through my heart at the sight of him.

''I was helping Sam finding a lost toy.'' I said the first thing that popped into my mind. ''But I guess I'll be going.'' I turned to Sam, eyeing him up and down.

The little spark of confidence he had a few seconds ago, had died down and he kept his mouth shut. His hands rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears that had been stuck there.

''You don't need to go. Come inside, grab a drink. We'll talk.'' He said, his head so close to mine that I could feel his breath on my skin. Definitely drunk. My breath hitched in my throat, but I covered it up with a cough.

''No thanks, I have to see Noah anyway.'' I brushed passed him, our arms touching. I was gone before he even got a chance to say anything.

I stalked away from the house, walking faster than I normally would have. I met up with Rick and Glenn halfway, who had been making their way to the house.

''Are you okay?'' Rick asked, trying to catch my eye. I glanced up at him and nodded.

''Yeah, I'm fine.'' I said. I crossed my arms over each other and told them everything I had encountered. The things Jesse said and the things Sam had told me. I left out the fact that Pete had invited me inside to 'talk', feeling way too uncomfortable with that.

Rick's face had hardened through the conversation, into something that would scare me, had it been directed at me. Glenn looked pissed too, but in a different way as Rick. I could only imagine the things that were going through his mind. How Jesse would have to endure Pete's violent tempers. Rick attempted to brush past me and head towards the house but I grabbed his arm.

He stopped walking, even though he easily could have pulled it away.

''Don't.'' I said, ''Not now.''

''We need to do something.''

''Talk to Deanna.'' I said. ''She needs to know first. Talk to her and try to convince her.'' My eyes connected with Glenn for a few seconds. Rick was still standing there, his back turned to us while I was clamping down on his arm, scared he would ignore my words and still go in there. ''We're not the ones in charge at the moment.''

At the moment.

Rick took a step back, turning towards me. I let go of his arm, knowing I'd convinced him. ''Talk to Deanna today, we'll handle this tomorrow.'' I said, nodding towards Jesse's house.

Rick nodded in agreement, before stalking away. Probably trying to find Deanna. I turned to Glenn and both of us started to walk back to the house.

''How's Maggie doing?'' It occurred to me that I hadn't talked to Maggie for a while. She had been 'promoted' to being Deanna's right hand. It was a 24-hour job for her. She came home late and left early.

''She's fine. She's busy.'' He said nothing after that and I figured he didn't want to talk about her. Which was fine for me. But after a minute he spoke up again.

''I went to Nicolas today.'' A spark of anger flared through me and I tried my best not to grit my teeth. ''Told him to stay here. That he wasn't going out there anymore.''

''Good.'' I said, ''How'd he take it?''

''He didn't like it.'' He said, ''I'm afraid he's gonna cause some more trouble.''

''We'll deal with it.''

* * *

That night was lonely. It had been the first time I had slept in this bed without him. Sleep wouldn't come easily. I sat upright in my bed. Rick was sleeping in the room across from mine. Glenn and Maggie were in the room next to me. Carl's was next to Rick's. There were two extra bedrooms downstairs where Michonne and Olivia both had their own room.

I contemplated going to Olivia. But I knew she already had some trouble sleeping and I didn't want to bother her with anything.

The room Daryl and I stayed in was pretty bare. We didn't have any personal belongings for decoration and we didn't like the old pictures that had been here. We removed every photograph of the family that was planning on moving here. So now the walls were left with nothing and the room looked boring.

The closet that was across from our bed was barely even half-full. They had let us search through the extra clothes they had. But everything looked too 'perfect'. I had picked out one pair of jeans and a brown top that was a size too large for me. However, I liked it that way. I had to get new shoes though. Mine had several holes in them. My new pair was basically the same way, whereas my old ones had been brown, this new pair was black.

I grabbed the pair of shoes in front of the closet and put them on. The jacket that was hanging on a chair seemed warm enough for tonight, considering it had been starting to get a little bit more chilly. Slowly but surely, fall was coming.

I walked out the door, careful not to wake anyone up.

Nobody was up anymore. Every light had gone out. These were the moments where it suddenly struck me, how rare this was. How none of this was supposed to be here. All the odds had been against this happening. So many people had died, humanity had been left behind. And here it still was. It made me miss the time before. Where the worst thing that would happen was me not being able to pay rent.

These people had it good and half of them didn't even realize it. It hit me how lonely I felt right now. Without Daryl, everyone asleep. I missed him and he was only gone for a day. He told me he wasn't sure how long he'd be gone. Maybe just a day, maybe a week.

I thought about Daryl as I strolled through the street. Walking towards the small lake that was positioned in the middle of this community. I passed Jesse and Pete's house, ignoring the urge to go in and check if Jesse was alright.

When I arrived at the lake, I wasn't surprised to find Rick there. He was wearing his police uniform. The vest swallowing up his body.

The talk with Deanna hadn't gone as well as he'd hoped it would. He came home with an annoyed expression on his face. He'd had that expression a couple times when things didn't go his way. He told me Deanna knew about Pete all along, but since he was the only surgeon, she let him be. She hadn't agreed to Rick's terms. Which were; Calling Pete out for what he's done and separate him and Jesse, putting him in his own house. If he refused, they would kill him.

Deanna disagreed with him, telling him that they don't kill people. They only exile them.

I walked over to Rick, standing on his side. Rick glanced over at me for a second, before returning his gaze to the lake. We were both staring forward, pondering.

''What's the plan tomorrow?'' I asked him, stuffing my hands inside my jackets for comfort and warmth. It smelled like detergent and flowers. It smelled too clean.

''I'd like you to talk to Jesse. I want it to be her choice.''

''Why me? You'd be much better.'' I told him. It was true. Who was I to tell Jesse what to do? Rick and Jesse had some kind of interest, or attraction to each other. I think he should be the one. I imagined all the different kind of scenarios. Scenarios where Rick was the one speaking and synopses where I was the one. For some reason in all of the scenarios I spoke in, I failed miserably.

''You've met her kid. He told you things. Pete also hurt you-''

''Barely'' I butted in.

''He still did.'' He turned his head towards me. The anger in his voice was clear and I tried my best not to feel touched by his protectiveness. We were a family. It should be regulation.

I sighed, knowing he was right. I still didn't believe I was the best one for the job. But if Rick thought so, I guess I'd try. Nerves were already racing through my body. Tomorrow was going to be the day. We were going to end it. There were only a few ways this could end, and the best one was very unlikely.

''Whatever happens tomorrow-'' I started, but Rick finished it for me.

''We'll make sure he never hurts them again.''

* * *

 **Hi, hope you liked it. Next chapter is finally gonna be a bit more exciting. I'd** **loooooveee to know your thoughts,**


	12. Chapter 12

The door in front of me was still the same as yesterday. Only this time Rick was behind me. He was standing around 50 meters away. Observing me. We had come up with a plan. I'd go in, talk to Jesse again. I'd try it one more time before we would spring into action. If I needed Rick, he'd come in and help me. I gave him a nod before knocking on the door.

It was around 12 o'clock right now. Rick and I couldn't wait any longer, we both needed to get this over with. I had seen Sam and Ron, Jesse's oldest son, leave earlier today. They probably had lessons. Carl had gotten them a few times too, but he wasn't too interested in it. He claimed it wasn't important anymore.

The door opened and Jesse appeared again. When she saw it was me standing at the door her face looked tired. I knew she wanted to be left alone, she thought we couldn't help her. But I knew we could. I hoped so.

''What are you doing here?'' She asked.

There was a split second, I knew I had to make a decision. She was going to close the door on me. She was done. I could let her. Just let her shut me out. Or I could do the better thing. We both knew she needed it. She moved to close to the door behind her, but I intervened.

I opened the door fully, blocking her move, and stepped inside before she could close it again.

''This needs to stop Jesse,'' I told her, bursting past her into her living room. She closed the door behind her, not wanting to know I was in here.

''You can't live like this.'' I started, ''Sam asked for a gun. Yesterday, after I left.''

Tears formed in her eyes and her face scrunched up as she started to cry. She balled her hands into fists and put them on her forehead in frustration. I took a step towards her.

''He wants to protect you. Just like I do. Just like Rick does.'' I tried not to speak too loud, I kept my voice down. Hoping that Pete wasn't inside. My plan was to get Jesse to give her permission and let Rick handle the rest. ''But Sam can't protect you. We can.''

''You just need to say yes.''

She was thinking about it. You could tell she wanted to say yes. I was wondering what stopped it. Was it the fear of it getting worse? The insecurity of what would happen next?

''Rick can help you. He cares about you.'' I spoke, her eyes snapped over to mine. Tears were staining her cheek and her eyes were red because of the emotion. She said nothing. Her eyes flickered over my face, attempting to read my expression. I stared back with as much confidence as I could muster, ignoring the pounding of my heart when thinking about what would happen next.

''Yes.'' I felt a huge form of relief wash over me. I placed my hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

''You're doing the right thing.'' I mumbled to her. When I pulled back, she nodded and gave me a half-smile. I turned around to get Rick.

I was almost at the door when someone else walked into the room. I heard the footsteps enter the room. Heavy and rough, it was almost daunting.

''Aubrey.'' The way he spoke my name halted my movements. I froze in my spot. Though I didn't let fear take control. I had to set an example right now. I could take him, Jesse could fight him. I turned around slowly to face the man in question.

''What are you doing here?'' He asked, there was no emotion in his voice except disgust. ''Again?'' He added as if he was making a connection.

''Pete,'' Jesse spoke, but Pete didn't listen to her. His eyes were glued to mine as if I was the problem here. Which I was for him.

''What. Are you doing here?'' He grumbled. Jesse walked over to him and I followed her slightly, wanting to be able to step in.

''Pete, listen to me.''

''I'm gonna ask you to leave.'' Pete asked, not taking his eyes off of me. I felt angered by the fact that he didn't even glance towards his wife. My hands balled into fists and I tried my best not to say anything. This was Jesse's chance to stand up, to show me she really wanted this.

''No.'' She spoke up. This time Pete did look at her. With so much hatred that I almost felt obliged to stand down, even if I wasn't the one speaking up. A wave of pride washed over me as I looked at Jesse. She was still standing up straight, not budging at his stare.

''Excuse me?'' He said, turning to Jesse a bit. I took a step closer, feeling like this was going to escalate rather quickly.

''No.'' Jesse told him again, ''You need to leave''

He gritted his teeth together as he spoke, in a slick voice that seemed to cut through the tension in the air. ''What have you been saying to each other?''

There was a moment of silence, where none of us spoke. His eyes flickered over to me before returning to Jesse, figuring she was the easiest one to bend.

''What have you been _doing_?!'' He raised his voice and took a step closer. Making Jesse flinch away as an automated response. I felt like this was the moment where I needed to step in before he started getting violent.

''You need to leave right now.'' I stopped him from doing anything else. His head snapped over to me. All the hatred and anger that had been directed at Jesse before was now facing me.

''You come into my house-'' He didn't even finish his sentence, he stalked over to me. I refused to back up. I stood my ground and balled my hands into fists, ready to strike if needed.

''Step back.'' I warned him, ignoring the anxiety in my stomach.

''Who the hell do you think you are?'' I didn't answer that question at first because it had been the same one I had been asking myself all along. Who was I to tell someone to live their life? But while glancing at Jesse and how worried she looked at me and Pete, I knew who.

''Someone who's here to stop people like you.''

His fist swung at me quickly and I was quick to dodge it. He stumbled forwards in the fast change of balance and I used it to my advantage and his him on the chin. Though he was a lot stronger than I was and within seconds he threw me against the wall.

I gasped for air as my back hit the hard surface. Pete came stalking over to me and reached up to put his hands around my neck. I struck my fist against his nose before he could get closer. His head snapped back, but he quickly recovered again.

He grabbed me by the collar and threw me on the ground. I slid a few feet further than he had thrown me. My head hit something hard. The collision made me gasp for air and my whole body stopped its movement for a second.

A groan escaped my lips as my hand shot up to my head. Red coated fingers returned and I knew that it wasn't good. All the while, Jesse was yelling things at Pete. Who was walking over to me again. I wanted her to call Rick, to get some help before this guy killed me.

My brain was hazy, my sight even a bit blurry. I squeezed them shut, hoping it would help me. I tried to make myself get up again, force my limbs to move.

I wished I had my gun on me, or at least some form of protection. Because, while I was not inexperienced, this guy was several feet taller than me and stronger built than I was.

Pete reached me faster than I had imagined and before I could even realize it. His hands were around my neck. He was mumbling several things in anger, but I couldn't focus on them. All I could think about was the feeling of my airway closing. I tried to draw in breaths, but I was just attempting the impossible. I probably looked like a fish on dry land, desperately trying to get some oxygen into my lungs.

I put my hands against his face, attempting to push him away. It had gotten almost silent. My grunting and gasping for air was the only thing that could be heard as Pete was strangling me. Pete was panting, and I was hitting his face, trying to push him off of me while his eyes were staring down at me.

Then for some reason, my eyes snapped over to Jesse. She was crying, her eyes flickering over to me and Pete. I wanted to scream at her for help, but my throat was working. Though my eyes seemed to do the trick because she started yelling again.

''Pete, stop it!''' She screamed at him, although it wasn't doing any good. My thrashing around was slowly starting to cease. I could feel myself getting lightheaded and all I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears. This was how I was going to die.

When the pressure on my lungs was suddenly gone, I gasped for air. Taking in huge gulps before shooting up. And immediately regretting it. My vision blurred and everything was spinning as I tried to focus on what was going on.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. Rick was landing punches on Pete and the other way around. Both of them were struggling to take control while they tried to take each other out.

Jesse rushed over to me, apologizing over and over again as she tried to check my head. I could only watch as Rick and Pete were fighting each other and before I knew it they were flying out the window. I placed my hands on the coffee table, which was also the thing I had hit my head on, and pulled myself up. Jesse supported me and threw my arm over her shoulder. We both rushed outside, as fast as I could go at least.

Jesse was full on sobbing at this point and people were starting to come over and see what was going on. Jesse let me go slowly and I let myself sink to my knees. Knowing I couldn't support myself.

Carl and Jesse's kids were running over to us. I could see Glenn and Nicholas heading over to us. I heard someone yell for Deanna. At this point, Pete was on top of Rick, also trying to choke him.

Jesse rushed over to them, hitting Pete in the back and trying to push him away from Rick. Pete swung his arm backward and hit Jesse right across the face. This seemed to anger Rick and he brought his knee up and hit him right in the groin. Pete groaned and made it possible for Rick to turn them around so he was on the top.

Glenn and Nicholas arrived at this point. Carl ran to his dad, trying to get him to stop, but Rick just pushed him away. Carl stumbled away and Enid rushed forward to help him get up.

My head was pounding, my chest was heaving and I felt glad that I was on the floor. I was sure that I couldn't have stood up longer than a minute.

Olivia came running over. Her eyes glanced over at Rick and Pete fighting before they landed on me. I couldn't imagine how I looked. Bloody, bruised and panting on the ground. Hot anger flared through her face as she took me in before she stalked over to me.

''What happened? Did Pete do this?'' She asked, connecting the dots. I could only nod, scared my voice would sound worse than it felt. She crouched down next to me, my arm around her shoulder and her arm around my waist to support me.

Rick wrapped his arm around Pete's neck. Choking him. His face was bloodied just like Pete's and there was this crazy look in his eye. He was extremely focused on cutting off Pete's breath.

This was the moment Deanna had caught up with the rest. Several people had gathered around the fight. It seemed like the whole town was slowly making its way towards us. This was probably the worst thing they'd experienced in a while.

''Stop it!'' Deanna spoke. Rick's eyes flickered over to the woman. He seemed to snap out of the trance he was in.

''If you touch Aubrey or Jesse again. I'll _kill_ you.''

''Dammit Rick!'' Deanna yelled frustrated at Rick. ''I said stop!''

Rick let go of Pete, who started to crawl away as fast as he could. Glenn, Nicholas, and Tobin walked forward to try and help Rick. But everything went so quick that even I didn't see it coming.

Rick reached towards the back of his belt and pulled out a small gun. I had never seen it before, so it must have come from the armory. Rick raised it at Nicholas and Tobin, or maybe even at Glenn.

''Or what?'' He challenged, pointing his gun at the group, threatening them. ''You're gonna kick me out?'' Everyone showed their hands, to signal they meant no harm. Deanna slowly took a step back, keeping her eyes on Rick to hide her fear.

''Put that gun down, Rick.'' Rick's face was one of full confusion as he stared at the inhabitants of Alexandria. I glanced over at Olivia, noticing she too had a gun. Her hand was placed on the holster, ready to take it out if needed. When did she had gotten a gun? Did they steal it? Together?

''You still don't get it.'' Rick started, waving the hand around that had the gun. ''None of you do!'' He exclaimed. ''We know what needs to be done and we do it. We're the ones who live.''

His eyes glanced around everyone, stopping at me for a second, showing no emotion. Before he continued, eyes on Deanna. ''You! you just sit and plan and hesitate. You pretend like you know, when you don't!'' He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

''You wish things weren't what they are. Well, you wanna live? You want this place to stay standing?'' He had lowered his gun by know, but it was still cocked and in his hand and I was sure he wouldn't hesitate to shoot if he wanted to.

''Your way of doing things is done!'' He was staring directly at Deanna know and even though Deanna wasn't happy with how everything was going, she was listening. She was actually considering his words. ''Things don't get better because you- you want them to. Starting right now, we have to live in the real world.''

''We have to control who lives here.'' He had turned slightly, looking to his left. Close to where Carl was standing.

''That's never been more clear to me than it is now.'' Deanna spoke up, she was frowning, her lips pulled into a tight line. Rick immediately turned back around, his eyes settling on Deanna again.

'''Me-Me?'' he started to laugh, ''You mean me?'' The smile on his face faded and turned serious again. ''Your way is gonna destroy this place, it's gonna get people killed. It's already gotten people killed.'' My eyes flickered over to Nicholas, who seemed to get the message. He took a slight step back, so little that I don't think anyone noticed.

''I'm not gonna stand by and just let it happen. If you don't fight you die.'' Michonne, who had been standing in the background all along came striding forwards. Not bothered by Rick's speech.

''I'm not gonna stand by and-'' Rick was abruptly stopped by Michonne. Who had landed the final punch on Rick's head. He collapsed onto the ground in front of Michonne. She grabbed the gun that was on the ground and stared at Deanna.

In the next few minutes. Glenn, Carl, and Michonne hauled Rick over to the infirmary. Olivia helped me get up and guided me along with them. Rosita did most of the medical stuff since Pete wasn't really able to do so.

My head was bandaged, there was no concussion as far as Rosita could see. My throat would bruise up and hurt some more, but it should get easier to breathe in the next couple of days.

Deanna insisted that we put Rick under the infirmary, in the basement. Where he wouldn't be able to hurt anybody. I objected that he wouldn't, but Deanna didn't budge.

After Rosita was done with me, I went over to Noah. Who had been silently watching me while I was getting checked out. As I sat in the chair next to his bed he spoke up.

''You look like shit.'' A surprised chuckle escaped my lips as I looked at him in amusement.

''Thanks?'' He was right though. My nose was bloodied and my neck was already starting to bruise because of Pete's hands. My head looked like toilet paper with the bandage around it, my face was pale and there were dark circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep.

''What happened?'' Noah asked, pushing himself up and leaning on his bed railing. I opened my mouth to answer his question when the door of the infirmary opened. Glenn stormed in, Maggie close behind him.

''What the hell happened back there?'' I almost flinched. I had never seen Glenn so pissed off towards me. I didn't think he was really angry at me, but more so at the situation, we were in right now.

''I-Rick-'' I started stumbling over my words, so I closed my mouth, took a deep breath and started again. ''Rick didn't start the fight. Pete did. I was talking to Jesse because we thought Pete was hitting her.'' A sudden realization dawned over Glenn as he knew what I was talking about. A lot of anger left his expression and his eyes glanced over to where the bruise on my arm was.

''We were right. Pete came barging in and Jesse told him to leave. I guess he blamed me.'' I told them, ''Rick only came to help me.''

After that, a silence stretched over the room. The only sound that could be heard was Rosita fixing up an unconscious Pete. Rosita was looking angrily at the man in front of her, suggesting she had heard everything too.

I'd asked Maggie what they were going to do with Rick, just to stop the silence.

She had more information about what was going to happen next. Maggie had convinced Deanna not to throw Rick out, to let Maggie talk to everyone, explain what had happened. Deanna had given her a day. She'd have a meeting that night so that everyone could voice their opinion and Deanna would make the decision afterwards.

Guilt tore its way through my chest. Rick was only protecting me and Jesse, he didn't even start the fight. Pete did. Although everything seemed to have worked. Pete was going to be put into a separate house and people would be keeping an eye on him. It was stupid that Rick had to be the one to pay the price, while he was the one who had put in all of the effort. And nobody was saying anything about me. If Rick was gonna be sent away, I would go with him. I owed him that.

''What if he gets sent away?'' I asked them. Daryl flashing through my mind. I didn't want to leave Daryl. What if he would come back here and we were gone?

''They won't. '' Maggie said, ''If Rick gets exiled, we would all go along with him. It's a too big a risk for Deanna.'' I nodded, agreeing with her. But trying to ignore my doubts.

''We'll make sure it doesn't happen,'' Glenn spoke and I sighed.

''We'll try.''

* * *

 **New episode of season 8 in a few minutes :P. What did you think of this chapter? Poor Daryl wasn't there to help Aubrey :( I know the writing isn't the best, but I hope it was still good :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you all for the reviews and the favorites and follows. I didn't expect it to be that much, so thanks, guys! Here we have the last chapter of season 5. It has been such a pain in the ass to write, but it was so much fun and totally worth it. I'm very excited to show you what I have for season 6.**

* * *

Maggie had been on fire. The rest of the day she had been walking around, explaining to people what had happened and apologizing on Rick's behalf. She managed to convince quite a few people and make them at least sympathize with us and what being out there could do to you. Though it was hard to make them really understand.

I had been hanging out in the infirmary mostly, chatting with Noah and keeping an eye on Tara. Abraham and Eugene had dropped by, Rosita forcing them to make up. It had been quite entertaining to watch.

There had been no sign of Daryl yet. No gunfire, no explosions or flare gun. Nothing that suggested they were in trouble, or that they were close. It didn't really comfort me like it should have. I just hoped he would be back soon, especially with everything that was going on. He needed to be here and informed about the situation. I regretted not telling him everything. He deserved to know, no matter the circumstances.

Nicholas had been pretty pissed off after the talk with Glenn. Apparently, he hadn't taken it too well. Glenn had expressed his worries to me that afternoon. Telling me that Nicholas was wandering around, giving him looks and looking at the wall. He was just acting suspiciously. So I decided to stay closer to Glenn, in case Nicholas tried something.

Just as I was about to leave the infirmary, and check on Glenn. He burst through the door.

''Aubrey,'' He said and I didn't even have to guess what was going on. It was Nicholas. I grabbed Noah's hand from the bed, told him I'd come back soon and with those words I left. I brought my gun, since my machete was in the armory, and followed Glenn, while he explained what had happened.

''I saw him climbing the wall, I don't know what's he trying to do. But we need to stop him.'' I nodded at his words, even though he probably wasn't looking at me anymore.

''Hey,'' Glenn said, stopping and grabbing me by my shoulders. ''Are you up for this?'' He told me. I gave him a confused look, not understanding what he meant.

''I mean can you handle this.'' He told me, reading my face. He pointed up at my head, where the bandage was. He meant 'if I was feeling well enough to do this'. I nodded at him, one firm nod. I ignored the sharp pain it sent through my skull. There was a slight moment of hesitation before Glenn accepted my answer and we continued.

We decided to take the same route as Nicholas went and climbed up the part of the wall Glenn saw him disappear.

Nicholas was reckless and stupid. The fact that he did this alone was enough proof. But he could get himself killed. Maybe he was doing it to prove something. Or maybe it was for kicks. Or maybe-

When we were on the other side of the wall I turned to Glenn.

''Glenn it doesn't make sense. Why would Nicholas leave?'' We were walking into the woods, Nicholas' footsteps were easy to track. He wasn't a skilled hunter like Daryl, nor did he have as much experience as we did. His tracks almost looked like footsteps, leaves were pushed aside and squished on the parts where the foot has been.

''Probably proving he can be a runner,'' Glenn said, but doubt was obviously laced in his voice. ''It just doesn't feel right,'' I told him. But I ignored the feelings for now. They weren't of any use. Finding Nicholas was a priority right now, besides, what could Nicholas do to us?

At one point the tracks headed over to the right and we decided to cover more ground.

''You go circle around the area, I'll follow the tracks.'' Glenn ordered, ''We'll see who finds him first.'' Glenn took out his gun and I did the same, glad I had brought it with me. I wasn't sure if it was the best idea. But my mind went back to the fact it was Nicholas. So I agreed with him. We could corner him this way.

So I turned back and circled the area Nicholas could have gone. I kept my eyes and ears open, listening for anything out of the ordinary. I listen for the sound of leaves being crushed or something brushing against a tree or a bush.

My mind went back to Rick, what if the meeting had already started? I was supposed to be here, instead, I was in the woods looking for an idiot who didn't understand this world. Still, he couldn't help but remind me of who I used to be in this world. I wasn't as reckless as Nicholas was, but I was as naive. I always thought it wouldn't be as bad as people told me it was. They were just exaggerating. But I learned it the hard way.

Maybe he wouldn't have to.

A gunshot rang out and brought my head back to reality. Goosebumps crawled across my skin and bile rose as I thought of what might have happened.

''Glenn!'' I yelled, sprinting towards the sound. I stumbled through the woods, my heart racing and panic flashed across my face. My legs were quickly tiring, but I pushed through, not wanting to fail Glenn. When I arrived at what apparently was the scene, I saw no one. I sincerely hoped that it was Glenn who had fired the shout though Glenn wouldn't have just randomly shot Nicholas.

Only when I glanced down, I noticed the blood. Was it Glenn's? Or did Nicholas get injured? My face was firm as I cocked my gun, stepping forward in the same direction as the tracks were showing me. My arms were raised, my gun in between my hands as I strutted through the woods.

I tried to have a fast pace, but I didn't want Nicholas to know I was here. So far, he didn't give off any indication that he knew of my presence and I'd like to keep it that way.

The panic had left my body and instead, it was replaced with pure focus. I hoped Glenn wasn't too badly injured because if he was, time was running out.

I knelt down, looking at a drop of blood on the ground. I reached over to it, my fingers lightly touching it. As if I could figure out whose blood it was just by looking. My fingers came back red, smeared with blood. The scent was going to attract walkers, which meant time was really running out.

There was no time to be gentle with Nicholas anymore. I rushed forwards my gun aimed at the ground as I jogged towards where I suspected Nicholas to be. As I came closer, sounds of fighting and groaning were heard.

I came bursting through the trees, just time to see Nicholas throw Glenn on the ground. I aimed my gun at him, trying to get a clear shot, but they were moving too much and were still too far away. So I ran over to them. Nicholas looked up at me, before looking behind him.

Three walkers had gathered behind them, staggering over to the duo. When Nicholas had set his eyes on the three dead corpses he bolted. He ran into the trees. As soon as he jumped up I raised my gun. I fired three shots, one hitting him in his leg, before rushing over to help Glenn.

The three walkers were on top of him, he could barely hold them off. I pushed the top one away with my foot, shooting the second one in the head. At the same time, Glenn killed off the bottom one. He lay there, panting as I finished off the one I had pushed away.

I looked him over. There was a wound in his shoulder, the result of the shot I had heard earlier.

''What happened?'' I said while I ripped off the bottom part of my shirt, since it was too long anyway, and tied it around Glenn's shoulder. Glenn let out a groan before he answered.

''He was hiding, took me by surprise.'' There was blood all around the side of his face where he got shot. His nose and mouth were also bleeding and it looked like it was going to bruise later on. All in all, he looked absolutely awful.

''We'll get him,'' I spoke, extending my hand out for him to take it.

''Yeah, We will.'' There was a determination in Glenn's eyes that I hadn't seen before. It was kind of intimidating.

It had turned dark fast. Before both of us knew it, the woods had turned black. None of us had brought a flashlight, so we were stumbling around in the dark. It was harder to find our way back to Nicholas. Tracks couldn't be seen, so we just assumed he was on his way to Alexandria, probably assuming Glenn was dead.

I had Glenn's arm around my shoulder, supporting him as we walked.

''We should have been at the meeting.'' I told him, ''Who knows what's going on there.''

I knew Glenn wanted to say something reassuring, but both of us knew it was no use. Rick had been unpredictable lately, no one knew what he was going to do. I just hoped that no one was going to die. We couldn't lose another member of the group, nor did I want any of the Alexandria people dead. Except for Pete. And Nicholas.

''Maybe we'll be on time,'' Glenn mumbled instead.

''With you looking like this?'' I shook my head, ''You're going straight to the infirmary.''

After another 10 minutes, we heard shuffling in front of us and I slowly let go of Glenn's arm, letting him stand on his own. I grabbed my gun, which was still cocked, out of its holster and slowly raised it, but Glenn put his hand on my arm and lowered it again, shaking his head.

I grit my teeth but obliged. Glenn took a few steps forward and even before Nicholas realized who it was, he was knocked down to the ground. Glenn had swung his fist right against his cheek, making him fall to the ground. He started landing punches on Nicholas, making him bleed.

''Noah almost died because of you! I tried to tell you how it's gonna be, how it has to be!" Glenn spoke through gritted teeth. His hands were grabbing onto Nicholas' collar. It was hard to make out his face in the dark, but I could hear his sobs through Glenn's angry speech.

''And you tried to kill me?'' Glenn landed one more punch before falling backwards in exhaustion, grabbing his shoulder.

There was a small second of nothing. Where I was just staring at them, observing the situation. Glenn let himself fall down on the ground, panting and closing his eyes for a second. When that small second was over, Nicholas pushed himself up, looked at the position Glenn was in and reached for his gun.

He almost killed Noah, he made me chop his leg off. He left Aiden for dead. Who knows how many people had died because of him. How many more people will die because of him. I wasn't going to take that chance.

I didn't waste any time, I raised my gun and when I knew I had the right aim, I pulled the trigger. I had no time to think about it. It was Glenn or Nicholas. His head snapped over to the side as my bullet pierced his skull. He fell down on the ground, the life leaving his body within seconds.

Glenn snapped up from his position, staring at me.

''He pulled out his gun, he was going to kill you.'' I hadn't realized my hands were shaking until I looked down at them. The sudden realization of what I had done hit me like a ton of bricks. I had murdered someone. It had been a while since I'd done that. 'Dawn was the last one' I had told myself, knowing it wasn't going to be true.

Glenn's hands appeared in front of me, placing them over my hands.

''It's okay.'' He said before he engulfed me in a hug. I started to tremble all over. Not because I killed _Nicholas_ , but because I killed _someone_. A sob forced its way into my throat and I let my head fall down on Glenn's good shoulder.

''I'm sorry.'' I sobbed, the words barely audible through my tears.

''It's okay,'' Glenn repeated. He kept repeating those words, making me calm down.

''It's gonna be okay.''

* * *

We had decided to leave Nicholas for now. My top priority was bringing Glenn back before he would bleed out.

We stumbled into the infirmary, oblivious as to what had happened. I assumed everyone was still at the meeting, discussing what to do with Rick.

Rosita, who was standing at Tara's bedside, immediately turned around as she heard us. Both of us were panting. Me, because of Glenn's weight leaning on me and Glenn because of his bullet wound. She helped me carry Glenn over to the counter so he could support himself on something.

''What happened?'' A silence stretched over us. I didn't want to say anything because I had been the one to pull the trigger. I had been the reason Nicholas wasn't with us right now. And that made me extremely uncomfortable.

''Nicholas tried to kill Glenn,'' I spoke up, my voice soft. ''so I killed him.''

''Oh shit.'' We heard and all of our heads looked up from the ground. Tara was sitting upright in her bed, smiling at us. Glenn let out a shaky sigh at the sight of Tara, who was looking as awesome as ever. I glanced over at the bedside that was next to Tara, expecting to see a familiar figure.

When I saw no one, panic surged through my body as I looked at the empty bed.

''Where is Noah?'' I spoke, rushing over to Rosita and gentle but firmly grabbing her by her arms. ''Where is he?'' The stress was clear in my voice and I could see Glenn have the same reaction as I did.

''He's fine, he wanted to go to the meeting. I think he's still there.'' She bit her lip, her mind going somewhere else. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her expression seemed thoughtful.

''What is it?''

''There was a shot, about 10 minutes ago. Pete and Reg are dead.'' My eyes widened and I turned to Glenn.

''I'll go check it out. You're gonna be alright?'' Glenn immediately nodded and just as I turned around to leave Maggie entered the infirmary. She took one glance at Tara, Glenn and me before worry spread across her features at the sight of her bloodied husband.

I didn't have time to explain it and left the infirmary quickly after greeting her. Leaving her confused at my behavior. My legs went as fast as they could, towards the place where the meeting would be.

Before I even arrived, there were several people crying and clutching onto each other. I could hear heart aching sobs coming from the spot. But before I could see what was going on, someone caught my attention.

The familiar jacket was wrapped around him, he was wearing a long-sleeved blue plaid under it. His crossbow was in his left hand and he was staring at the scene in front of him, his back turned to me.

''Daryl.'' I said and within a second he turned around. His eyes focused on me and I sprinted the few meters over to him, engulfing him in a hug. His strong arms wrapped around me and for a few seconds, I felt safe. As if nothing had happened and there was only Daryl. I breathed his scent into my nose, which was mixed with sweat. But it was a comfort and I didn't mind. I probably didn't smell any better.

He pulled back, sooner than I would have wanted, and looked at me from head to toe.

''What the hell happened to you?'' He growled, his hand shot up to my head and gently touched it, examining where the wound was.

''I'm fine.'' I breathed. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He had been on my mind constantly the three days he was gone and now he was finally here again.

That's when I forced to snap my eyes over to the scene in front of me. Rick was standing in the center, his face bloodied and a bewildered look in his eye. Next to him on the ground was Pete, his head blown to bits. A few meters away was Reg, also on the ground. A pool of blood was surrounding him. There was a knife wound in his head, preventing him from turning.

Deanna was holding his hands, sobbing and whispering things to him. A lump formed in my throat at the sight of it. This wasn't what I had imagined would happen at all. I thought they were just going to talk.

Aaron was standing next to Daryl. Next to Aaron was the last person in this place. When my eyes fell on him surprise covered my features, but also a bit of excitement that he was still alive. When we left him, I thought he was going to die for sure. But here he was, looking better than ever.

''Morgan?


	14. Chapter 14

**2 weeks later...**

''This is where it all starts tomorrow,'' Rick was standing on one of the larger rocks, looking at everyone while he spoke. I was standing next to Daryl, our arms almost touching, but we weren't looking at each other. Both of us were focused on the man in front of us.

The groans around us were loud. Rick had to raise his voice to top those of the dead people. All the new recruits from Alexandria were looking into the pit of walkers with a nervous glance. Their fear clearly showing. They were already on edge and we still had a day to prepare.

''Tobin gets in the truck, opens the exit and we're off. He hops out, catches up with his team at red, staying on the west side of the road. Daryl hops on his bike-'' A loud crack could be heard from behind Rick. All of us turned our heads towards the sound.

''You see that?'' Sasha called, pointing towards in the direction of the sound. The road that led out of the pit, which was blocked by an enormous truck, slowly started to crumble. The front of the truck started to lean forwards and within seconds the heavy truck fell down, leaving the path wide open.

Walkers climbed up the hill, to where the loud crack had come from, unaware that this was their way out. Horror appeared on everyone's faces as the thousands and thousands of walkers were slowly making their way towards us. Rick turned towards us, already high on adrenaline.

''It's open, we gotta do this now!'' Everyone started to scramble around. Some not knowing what to do, while the more experienced ones started to think ahead. I glanced over at Daryl, who had gotten out his crossbow and pointed it to the spot where the walkers could appear any second.

''Sasha, Abraham, you meet Daryl at red!" Rick ordered. Sasha and Abraham stepped inside their car and drove off. I turned to Daryl. He lowered his crossbow as he too stepped forward. My eyes glanced over to the herd of walkers slowly getting closer by the second. I grabbed Daryl by his collar and yanked him towards me. Our lips crushed together in a passionate, but short, kiss.

''Good luck,'' I told him before we parted ways. Daryl placed one last kiss on the top of my head, ''I'll see ya at home.'' with those words he grabbed his bike and started to get ready.

Glenn ran over to me, ''We're gonna hit the tractor place, c'mon.'' I checked the ammo on my gun, which was a full magazine, and along with Heath, we started to sprint for the tractor place.

Flares were being fired behind us, in the direction of Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham. I tried not to think too much about what we were doing. This was going to work, no one was going to get hurt or die.

It had been two full weeks since the meeting, since Nicholas had tried to kill Glenn, since Daryl had gotten back. Reg had been buried inside Alexandria, while Pete and Nicholas had been buried elsewhere, outside the community. That's how Rick had discovered the pit of walkers. Apparently, a group had camped down there. They had blocked off all the exits to prevent walkers coming in. It hadn't worked, they all died, and now it prevented walkers from coming out. It had been too much of a risk to let it be like that. The sounds were drawing more and more walkers in every day and if they got out without us knowing, they'd take over Alexandria, killing us all.

So Rick had decided to make a plan on how to lead the herd away. All of us had expected a disagreement from Deanna, but she had been pretty out of it lately. She was at every meeting or discussion, but she wasn't at the same time. She just agreed with what Rick said. Which had been good for us. Rick got a chance to show his leadership, to make the people trust him, trust us.

It had turned into our community. They were the outsiders now, instead of us. But we were teaching them. Olivia was giving lessons along with Rosita. Eugene had been following them too.

I had convinced Olivia to stay home during this whole 'mission', I wanted her in the background. She has been through so much, I wanted her to at least have a chance to a normal life. So far she seemed to be doing okay. After her mental breakdown she distanced herself from me a little bit, but not so much that we didn't speak with each other anymore. I wasn't sure how to handle it. I didn't want to force interaction with her, but who knew what was going on inside her head.

She seemed more restless after we arrived at Alexandria, at first I blamed it for the unfamiliarity of this place. But now, there seemed to be more going on.

Rick's voice cut through our walkie-talkie. Rick, Glenn, and Daryl had gotten one, so we could at least make sure everyone was alright.

'' _Glenn, you have to hurry. The noise could distract the herd right off the road. Talk to me.'_ ' His static voice could be heard through the walkie. We arrived at our destination just as Rick had finished speaking. The hands pounding against the glass had gotten louder the closer we got.

''We're here.'' We ran past the tractor that had been the reason for the naming of this place. Glenn stabbed a walker, that was stuck under a car, in the head. I jogged further, towards the building.

''That's a lot.'' Heath spoke. Heath was the new guy. He had arrived a day after the meeting. He and two other people had been on run for a couple of weeks, missing our whole arriving.

''We need it quiet,'' Glenn spoke, glancing at the windows.

''What do you wanna do?'' I asked him. There were around a dozen walkers, as far as we could see, maybe even more. We could handle a dozen with the three of us, but if there were more roaming around in the back, we could get a problem. We needed to control this.

''Take 'em out a few at a time.'' Glenn said, jogging over to a door that we could open. ''Heath you're at the door.'' Heath hesitantly walked over to the place in question, not wanting to get any closer to the walkers than necessary. ''Let one or two out, then close it.''

''And what if I can't-?''

''We take them on,'' I spoke up, cutting off his doubts. His head snapped over to me, surprise and disbelief on his face.

''Take them on?'' Glenn opened his mouth to help and reassure him.

''If we get into trouble we'll go behind that building into the woods and we'll draw them away.'' Glenn told him, still Heath shook his head, not sure if this was going to work.

''This was supposed to be a dress rehearsal.''

''And I'm supposed to be delivering pizzas, man.'' Glenn told him, making me raise my eyebrows. I never knew that Glenn used to deliver pizzas. I imagined him, dressed in a uniform and driving around, bringing pizza's to old ladies and wishing them a good day.

''Daryl's gonna lead the herd this way. That noise is gonna pull them right off the road,'' He spoke, pointing towards the building with his crowbar, ''And then we have serious trouble.''

Heath sighed, but nodded, somehow with more confidence.

''Okay one,'' Glenn spoke, shifting a bit in place. ''Two,'' I clutched my hands tighter around my machete as if it would help calm my nerves. ''Three.'' Heath pulled the door open, ready to be met with hungry corpses. Except there were none. The entrance was blocked by a garage door.

''Shit,'' I said. ''Plan B, I guess.''

''We'll take a few steps back, draw them over to us.'' Glenn said, already backing up. I followed his lead and Heath did the same. I placed my machete back in my belt and grabbed my gun, cocking it.

''Ready?'' Glenn asked and when both of us nodded and mumbled something, he pulled the trigger.

The glass broke, making an opening for the walkers. The walkers stumbled out, not caring for the broken glass that dug into their skin. Their eyes were focused on us and I tried not to look into them too much, knowing that it'd creep me out.

I aimed and pulled the trigger on the first one, then the second one, and the third. Before I knew it every walker crumbled to the ground, officially dead. It wasn't as much of a struggle as I expected it to be. Within minutes all the walkers were taken out and the threat had been cleared.

* * *

We were running through the woods on the side of the road, which was now packed with walkers. I thought about the fact that Daryl was the one up front, leading all of them.

We caught up with Rick and his group. Rick and Michonne's group consisted of Scott, a black male who had also been on a run with Heath, just like Annie, a woman who had dark hair that had been pulled into a braid. Carter, the man who had been planning to kill Rick so he could take Alexandria 'back'.

David was there, I didn't really know anything about him other than that he was one of the most skilled fighters in Alexandria. There was also a kid, who seemed to be a bit younger than I was, he looked a bit nervous, constantly looking back to the road where all the walkers were. Barnes was the last one of the crew, he was a tall man, who I didn't really know either.

''It's working,'' Carter spoke up, grabbing Rick's attention. ''You were right.'' He held out his hand for Rick to shake, as a token of peace. Rick glanced down at Carter's hand and shook it, he seemed pleased that everyone had worked out, without having to kill anybody.

Rick turned back to all of us, ''Everyone, we need to finish this. We have to keep moving and fan out down that thing, front to back. Like cops at a parade.'' He glanced over at Glenn and me.

''Glenn, you have the other walkie, you take the back with Aubrey.'' We both nodded at him in confirmation.

''If things get sloppy we fire our weapons and pull them back on track.'' Carter went up front, along with Rick and we all spread out, securing the road.

I was right behind Glenn, Heath and Scott were behind me. Not a minute later we heard screaming down where Rick was. My first instinct was to turn around and go help them. But I stopped myself. I glanced over at Glenn, seeing that he too was hesitating.

''They'll handle it.'' I said, reassuring the other too. I bit my lip in a form of anxiety, hoping that I was telling the truth.

We were circling the area, keeping close to Rick's group. We hadn't heard any screaming, but we did hear a flare go off. Glenn had asked Rick on the radio if everything was alright. He explained that Carter had gotten bit, in the face. But everything had been handled. I saw Heath and Scott exchange a look with each other that made my heart skip a beat and tighten my grip around the handgun.

It's going to be alright, I told myself. They knew Carter and we didn't, so it's harder for them. They won't do anything. They can't. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in and out, not wanting my paranoia to have the best of me. When I finished breathing out, a large horn blasted through the air, making me jump.

My head snapped over to the sound, it seemed far away. There was only one place it could be coming from. Home. I looked over at Glenn and both of us started to sprint at the same time.

We ran off, knowing that Scott and Heath would follow us. We brushed branches aside and forced our legs to move as fast as we could.

We met with Rick's group again and when everyone had assembled we started sprinting towards Alexandria.

''Tobin, hit the flares.'' Rick spoke through the walkie. Almost half of the herd had gotten off the trail. But my mind didn't care right now. I thought about everyone that had stayed behind. Olivia was still there, Carl and Judith were. I had asked Olivia to stay, if she died, that'd be on me.

There was no answer from Tobin, only static. We started running faster. Michonne, Rick, Glenn and me were ahead and the rest of the group were behind. I wanted to keep everyone together, but there was no time to let them catch up. They needed to up their speed, there was no time to lose.

'' _Rick_ ,'' Daryl's voice broke through the static. '' _What going on back there?_ '' My heart skipped a beat and I ignored the feeling in my stomach. I wasn't sure if it was because of worry or just because it was him.

''Half of them broke off, they're going towards Alexandria. There's a horn or something coming from the east, it's not stopping.'' Rick answered the radio. I stumbled but managed to get myself upright again. I was getting tired, having gotten out of shape since Alexandria. Maybe I needed to start jogging.

'' _I'm gonna gas it up, turn back_.'' Daryl suggested, even though it barely sounded like one.

''We have it, you keep going.'' Rick told him. I wasn't sure what I wanted Daryl to do. Ironically, I think he was saver with the walkers than at Alexandria right now. But of course, Daryl didn't think nor care about that. He heard a call for help, and he headed for it, straight on.

They started arguing, about what would be better. Rick wanted to keep the herd moving, if the herd broke off than they were all heading for Alexandria, which would make matters worse. While Daryl thought that they could need our help back home.

A yelp could be heard from behind us and we all turned around towards the sound. Annie had tripped and was hunched over on the ground. Glenn rushed over to her, ''You okay?''

''Yeah, it's just my ankle.'' Within seconds Glenn had grabbed Annie's arm and swung it over his shoulder, dragging her along and making sure she wouldn't fall behind.

Rick stopped, waiting until we were all gathered around.

''Okay new plan, I go back, get the RV, circle around the woods on Redding. I'll get in front of them before they get here. I can lead them away.''

''I'll join you.'' David spoke up, clutching his shotgun.

''No, they might need you back home. I'll handle it, just make sure you get home.'' He glanced over at us. ''Glenn, Aubrey, Michonne.'' We all walked along with him until we were a safe distance away from the rest, so they couldn't hear us. I looked back, wondering what was so important that Rick didn't want the other to hear it.

''If something's in front of you, you kill it. No hiding, no waiting, you keep going.'' He said, wiping the sweat away from his forehead.

''I'll go with you. You can't go on your own.'' I told Rick. He paused his movements, looking at me and hesitating. He thought about it, about the possibilities. I didn't necessarily wanted to go with him, but he couldn't go on his own, all of us knew that. I wasn't going to let him die.

''No, they need you.'' Rick said,

''I need your help getting these people back safe.'' Michonne spoke up, making me direct my attention to her. For some reason, the scene back in Woodbury flashed across my eyes. Where I had defended her from Rick and Daryl and she basically told me to fuck off. I almost smiled at the memory, thinking about how everything had changed now.

''Okay,'' I mumbled.

''The thing is,'' Rick interrupted my thoughts, '' they're not all gonna make it.'' Michonne turned to him.

''Rick-''

''You try to save them you try. But they can't keep up, you keep going. You have to. Make sure you get back.'' He glanced over to all of us, looking us directly in the eye. And I couldn't help but slowly nod. I knew we needed to get back. We had too much to live for. But so did the others. We weren't the only ones who had the right to live. Within seconds I had changed my mind. We weren't going to leave anyone behind, not unless we had to.

Suddenly a scream cut through the air. And all of us started to run back.

A walker was hunched over Barnes, the tall guy, who was screaming at the top of his lungs. I didn't waste any time and buried my machete in the walker's head, ending the groans. I pulled the dead body off of Barnes. Barnes' neck had a huge bite wound in it, he was gurgling with the attempt of breathing, and Michonne ended his suffering with a sigh, knowing this was the exact same thing Rick was talking about.

Not even a second later, the horn stopped blaring. We all glanced up towards where the noise had been coming from.

''The horn stopped. Good.'' Rick said and started to pull all the weapons off of Barnes' body. I ignored the look of disgust Rick got from the others, even though everyone knew we weren't going to let Barnes' supplies here.

''Get back safe.'' Rick said before taking off.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed :)**


	15. Chapter 15

We were in deep shit

Things had somehow gone from bad to worse. During our walk back we came across a small group of walkers, around 6 or 7. The kid, whose name was Sturgess, had attempted to shot one of the walkers. Instead he hit Scott in his leg, making him limp and in danger of bleeding out. Sturgess had ran away in distress, scared off the walkers around him. David, had helped Scott get walkers off of him after he collapsed because Sturgess shot him, and in return he had gotten bit in the shoulder.

So we had gone down from 11 to 7, with three of them injured. We had just arrived at a small deserted town.

''Let's check the cars first, see if they can get us back.'' Michonne opted. We all nodded, I took out my gun for safety. Scott, Annie and David decided to stay back, since they were having the most trouble walking and running.

I was standing next to Michonne and Glenn, both of them were checking cars and I was just planning to go ahead when Glenn turned to us.

''Listen, I need to get home. But I'm not leaving anyone behind.'' He said, leaning on one of the car doors, ''We patch Scott up and then we get going.''

''We'll find something. We're gonna get home.'' I promised him.

''We're ahead of the herd. We can stop, we can make it.'' Michonne told Glenn. She was so much better at comforting people than I was. Glenn nodded, giving us barely a smile.

After another 10 minutes of looking, we came with the conclusion that there were no cars. Slowly but surely, more walkers had started to appear. They hadn't seen us yet, but it was getting riskier by the minute.

Michonne was up front, leading the way even though none of us knew this place. We turned in an alley and Michonne suddenly halted to a stop. In front of us lay a body, ripped apart by walkers. His head was laying a few feet away.

''Oh shit, Sturgess.'' David mumbled. My face contorted, angry that we had lost another one. Couldn't we get a break?

We backed away, going back to the main street, finding that more and more walkers had appeared. There was no way we could go past them without getting seen and with Scott and Annie barely able to walk on their own, there was no other possibility than to hide and wait until they had passed.

Michonne pointed to an old vet shop, we all rushed inside and closed the door behind us, making sure no walker had seen us. Glenn and Heath dropped Scott and Annie down on the ground, letting them rest for a minute.

Michonne, Glenn and I made eye contact, knowing that this was getting worse by the minute. Heath and Michonne started to clear the store, even though there was not a lot to check out.

I stood next to Glenn, thinking of a way to get out of here. ''We need to distract the walkers.'' I mumbled to Glenn, he turned my way, nodding while still in thought.

''Maybe we can do more than that.'' He whispered, ''What if we find a way to distract the herd that's behind us. So that they don't even get close to the community.''

''How?'' I asked him, but even before the words left my mouth I already answered at the same time Glenn did.

''Burn the buildings.'' Our voices spoke up in unison.

We explained the plan to the rest of the group. How we could not only distract the walkers in this town but also distract the whole herd. I'd fix a whole lot of problems and the plan could still continue as was planned. Alexandria would be safe and Michonne and the other could get back without any trouble.

''I'll go, burn one of the buildings.'' He said.

''You have a wife, Glenn.'' Michonne spoke up, pointing out the risk he was taking.

''That's why I'm doing this. It's my plan, it's on me.'' He said, looking at her with so much determination that Michonne backed off.

''It wasn't only your idea.'' I spoke up, making Glenn turn my way. ''I'm coming with you.'' Glenn seemed to consider this idea for a few seconds, his face contorted in a frown. Eventually, he nodded, ''Alright.'' He agreed. He glanced back at Michonne, who had been listening quietly, though her face was full of uncertainty.

''You need to get them back, you're the only one who can.'' Glenn told Michonne, giving her encouragement. ''If we take too long, just go.'' Michonne's eyes widened a bit, shocked at what we were proposing, she straightened her spine, something she often did as an attempt to regain control.

''I'm not leaving without you, this is not the way it works.'' Michonne told us, glancing back and forth between us.

''We'll meet you there.'' I told her, trying to sound as courage as Glenn.

''If we get stuck, we'll find a way to show you guys we're fine.'' Glenn added. ''We all have a job to do.'' After that, Michonne didn't object anymore. She wasn't fond of the idea, but at least she accepted it. It needed to be done.

Glenn went to an empty aisle to talk to Rick, explain the plan to him.

''Rick, it's Glenn. We're in a town five degrees east of the green marker. If you get around on Redding in the next 20 minutes, you should be good. I think that's how far we're ahead of the herd.'' He glanced over at me and to the entrance of the animal shop before returning to the radio. ''Aubrey and I are gonna try and set a fire to distract them. If you don't see smoke that means they're still coming your way. I got to go. Good luck dumbass.''

He took his thumb off the button, staring out in front of him. He seemed to be pondering something, I felt as if I was intruding. Just when I wanted to leave, he stood up, turning his body towards me, asking me if I was ready.

I asked if I could say a few words to Daryl. He handed me the walkie after channeling it to Daryl's and gave me some privacy. He was probably driving and maybe he wouldn't even hear me, but I had to try.

''Hey Daryl, It's Aubrey.'' I took a deep breath, ''Glenn and I are gonna go and try to distract the herd, we're gonna burn a few buildings. If you see smoke, then it means it worked. If not-'' I stopped for a few seconds, biting my lip. ''Than we failed. I'll see you at the end-'' I thought about everything that could still go wrong, about everything that could still happen.

''I-'' I started but stopped myself. I was battling myself, wondering if I should do it or not. ''I l-'' I stopped again, this time shutting off the radio and standing up, handing the radio back to Glenn.

We were trying to get into a house, but to no avail. The doors were locked and windows were boarded, making it impossible for us to enter. I slammed my shoulder with as much force as I could muster against the door, attempting to break it. I was only met with a loud thud as my shoulder connected with the hard surface. I groaned at the impact, ignoring the pain.

''I'll go again.'' I told him, not wanting to give up. This was the only house that seemed actually capable of setting on fire. It used to be an old printing office, meaning that there'd be lots and lots of newspapers.

''You don't need to, we'll find another-''

Both of us jumped up at the sound of gunshots. ''Is that coming from-?'' I didn't even finish my sentence. But Glenn realized what I was trying to say.

''Home,'' Glenn seemed to have found a new adrenaline rush because he turned back around and said, ''C'mon.'' We sprinted away, trying to find another house that we could actually enter.

The gunshots weren't helping our case. Walkers had started to pile up, making us have to avoid certain places, for the risk of getting caught. The sound of shots was riling the walkers up, making them restless and excited. They were wandering around more, going to different places.

Glenn and I ran around a corner, only to find walkers down the street. There were at least two dozen, too much for us to take on.

''Shit,'' I mumbled as I glanced at the small herd, making its way to us. They had spotted us and their groans were getting louder, their legs attempted to walk faster, causing a few of them to stumble.

We turned around, planning on going back when walkers appeared from every corner. The herd was catching up with us, and these walkers weren't even all of them. Hundreds of walkers came stumbling through the streets, setting their eyes on the only living thing. Us.

I glanced around in an attempt to find an exit for us, to find a hiding spot. Glenn grabbed my arm and pulled me to the only possible way out. We went in between two buildings and right into an alley. At the end of the alley, there was a small opening. That was completely blocked.

Fences had been put on one side, hindering our escape. A building was to my right, but the entrances were blocked too. There was a steel door that Glenn pulled, but had been secured from the inside. A staircase leading up to another door had also been clogged up with all kinds of furniture. There might be a way to climb it-

But the walkers came pouring in, preventing my plan. Glenn and I backed up, looking at the group of dead bodies that never seemed to end. Panic slowly rose up in my throat, but I managed to bury it. There was no time to freak out, we needed to keep our heads.

''Dammit.'' Glenn cursed, before pulling out his gun and shooting the walkers one by one. I quickly followed his lead, taking out the walkers that were the closest.

Both of us knew this wouldn't help at all, but it was better than sit here and wait for death to come. I focused on one corpse at a time, trying to forget that there were hundreds behind it. The walkers were incredibly close to us, making their blood splatter all over my face. When I looked over at Glenn I saw he wasn't doing much better.

I pointed the gun at a dead woman, pulling the trigger again. Only this time I was met with the click of the hammer. I was out.

I turned to Glenn who had been met with the same fate as me, walkers were closing in and there was no way for us to get out. Still, I was glancing everywhere, looking for an opening. When I turned my head to see if there was anything we had missed my eyes fell on a discarded object.

''Glenn, the dumpster. We can get inside!'' Glenn turned around and within seconds we were at the dumpster. Glenn lifted the top and helped me jump inside. I quickly took over and waited for him to follow me. With my other hand, that wasn't holding the top of the dumpster, I stabbed a walker that came too close to my liking. Suddenly, a walker grabbed Glenn's shirt from behind. He let out a yell as he fell to the floor. In an instant, I reached out the dumpster and pulled the walker close to me, so that his attention would turn towards me. I stabbed it through the head, watching as it crumbled down next to Glenn.

He hoisted himself up and when I heard the thump of Glenn's body, I quickly crouched down and let the dumpster close on its own. Darkness engulfed our surroundings and the sounds of the walkers were muffled by the materials of the large trash can.

Both of us were panting in the dark, the only light came from the separate covers that didn't fully connect. When a walker appeared in front of the crack, the only light we had disappeared.

I couldn't help but whimper as more walkers started to bump against the dumpster, trying to find a way in. I crawled the few meters towards Glenn, or where I thought Glenn was.

The smell in here was overwhelming, who knew what was rotting in here. The back of the dumpster was filled with bags of trash, but most of the front had been clear. That didn't mean it was clean though. As I crawled over to Glenn, I could feel several things stuck to my hands, something wet on my jeans and I tried my best to ignore my skin crawling.

I let myself rest beside the man. Trying to calm my breathing. My heart was pounding with fear. The walkers were incredibly close, I felt as if they could burst through the plastic walls any second. I pulled my knees up towards my chest and let my head fall in between my legs, trying to ignore the horrific smell.

''We need to get back.'' Glenn whispered, afraid the walkers would hear us.

''Do you have your walkie?'' I asked him, hoping we could contact Rick or Daryl. I heard rustling and I imagined Glenn reaching for his belt. A sigh escaped his lips, and he dropped his hands to his side. Slowly my eyes started to get used to the darkness and I slowly began to see more and more.

''I dropped it. When the walker grabbed me.'' An unsettling feeling appeared in my stomach. There was no way to connect with the rest. We were absolutely trapped. Glenn rammed his hand against the walls of the dumpster in a fit of rage.

''Hey, what are you doing!?'' I exclaimed quietly.

''Maggie-'' He whispered, dipping his head in his hands. ''Maggie's pregnant.''

My eyes widened and my head snapped so hard towards him that I thought I was gonna have a whiplash. ''She- What?'' I started sputtering, ''Glenn, that's amazing.''

''Yeah,'' A small smile formed on his face. He was going to be a dad. The thought almost made me tear up. Glenn holding his baby in his arms, Maggie standing right beside him. Daryl flashed through my mind. Wondering if that kind of future was for us. I hadn't been fond of the idea of getting children, but maybe in this place. After everything was cleared up. Maybe.

''But we're stuck in here.'' Glenn told me, his smile fell from his face. His expression changed into one of frustration, knowing we couldn't get away. Not right now.

''The walkers will go away, we just have to wait. You'll see Maggie again.'' And for once, I actually believed my words.

So there we waited, huddled against in each other. We kept our mouths shut, hoping that'd distract the walkers sooner. Day turned into night, but none of us slept. We kept listening, our ears strained, waiting for the walkers to go away. There was still groaning, but it seemed to have lessened.

Glenn and I decided we would check in the morning. Walking around at night would only be dangerous. We had zero food and water and both of us were starting to feel a bit weaker. Half-way through the night, I had let my head rest on his shoulder. Thinking about Daryl, hopefully, he was alright. I hoped he heard my message.

My head snapped up, my heart pounding in my chest as I gasped. Glenn immediately shot out to keep me from lunging forwards. He pulled me back to the wall of the dumpster and let me catch my breath.

''What happened?'' I asked him, wondering why I got scared so much.

''You fell asleep, I tried to wake you up.'' He told me, I noticed he was talking louder than yesterday, making me hope that it had gotten quiet.

''Oh, why?''

''We can go. There's nothing out there anymore.'' My eyes widened and when Glenn opened the lid of the dumpster, the light that shone inside blinded me. I squinted my eyes together at the sudden brightness and held my hand up to block some of the sunlight.

Glenn jumped out first, followed by me. The first thing he did was bend down to grab the walkie-talkie that had fallen yesterday. The machine had been stomped on and looked broken. Still, Glenn pushed the button and called out.

''Rick?'' No answer, ''Daryl?'' The thing didn't even work anymore, there was no static audible. Glenn sighed and let his hand drop down, leaning it on his knees, before he got up again. I had been leaning against the dumpster, watching the thing.

My knees and arms were weak, due to the lack of nutrition. Looking at the sun, I guessed it was around the afternoon, meaning we had a whole day of walking ahead of us if we wanted to get to Alexandria before nightfall.

I pushed myself away from the garbage and started to look through the couple of walkers we had previously killed. None of them were wearing any backpacks, but maybe they pockets had something.

I almost shouted when I found ammo for my handgun, they were only two bullets. But two bullets were better than none. Furthermore, there was nothing but car keys and ID's.

Glenn grabbed a water bottle from the ground that had a little bit of water in it, barely enough for one of us. We stared at each other, pondering if one of us should drink it when we heard a voice.

''Heads up!'' A water bottle flew through the air and landed on the ground. I quickly scrambled to get it before all the water had left the plastic bottle. Glenn looked up towards the person that had thrown it. A confused look on his face.

''Enid?'' My head snapped up too at the mention of her name. She was standing on the roof and as soon as Glenn realized who she was, she disappeared from our view. I gulped half of the water bottle down and handed the rest to Glenn before we climbed into the house.

The window, that had been locked before and then blocked by walkers, was now open. We climbed through. It seemed like this used to be a thrift shop. Dust covered little Russian dolls and pots and pans were thrown on the ground. I almost grabbed one, figuring they'd make a pretty good weapon against a walker. But I still had a machete and didn't want to carry too much around. It'd only take up space on my belt.

We rushed upstairs, finding Enid right on time. She was making her way through another window and both Glenn and I shot out to grab her before she could escape.

''Why aren't you at home?'' I asked her. I had seen the girl a couple times before. She used to hang out with Ron a lot, one of Jesse's kids, but I'd seen her hang out with Carl more recently.

''It's not my home.'' She retorted, like a typical teenager. I put my hands up and backed away, knowing that this wasn't something I had experience with. Glancing over at Glenn, I knew he had the same problem.

''We're taking you home.'' Glenn spoke up,

''Why? Just let me go.'' She folded her arms over each other. Her backpack looked like it was packed with a lot of stuff, confirming my suspicion that she had ran away.

''I'm not gonna let you go. My wife wouldn't leave you behind. She wouldn't have wanted me to leave you behind.'' It was easy to forget Glenn was married know. Even though it had been a while ago, sometimes that term still surprised me.

Enid rolled with her eyes mumbling 'whatever', before turning around and starting to leave again. Glenn shot forward to stop her. When his hand touched her arm she immediately twisted around, this time there was a gun in her hand. She aimed it at Glenn and cocked the gun.

My hand shot out to my own handgun, but I remembered I didn't have any bullets. Still, I held my hand against it, trying to intimidate her.

''One step further and he's dead.'' She said, looking me in the eye before glancing back to Glenn.

''You're not gonna pull the trigger.'' Glenn simply stated, his hands up in the air.

''I might.'' Enid said, her hands shifting on the gun, ''If you make me.'' Though her eyes were soft and fearful, predicting the contrary.

Glenn's hand shot up to the gun, but in a gentle manner. He placed his hand on the barrel, pushing the gun down. Enid did nothing, knowing she had already lost. Though her hands were still on the gun. ''Let it go.'' Glenn spoke. Enid's eyes went over to the gun and to Glenn's face for a second before releasing the gun.

''Asshole.'' She mumbled.

''You hold a gun to my head and I'm the asshole?''

Glenn pointed towards the stairs that went down. He looked over at Enid who was still looking pissed as ever. Her hand was clutching her backpack so hard her knuckles almost turned white.

''Lead the way home.'' He mumbled as a grumbling Enid stormed past him.

* * *

 **Let me know what you think :)**


	16. Chapter 16

We had been walking for about half an hour now. None of us had said a word to each other. My thoughts were at Alexandria and everyone who was there. There weren't any gunshots anymore, which didn't really comfort me. Olivia and Noah were there, hopefully Rick was there too. Daryl, Sasha and Abraham should be back too. Michonne should have made it too by now.

But the herd was still heading their way, maybe they were already there. Maybe they were invading Alexandria right at this moment, ripping everyone apart and destroying everything. While we were here, slowly walking.

I gradually started to pick up the pace, the more I thought about it. Several scenarios started playing through my mind, each one as horrible as the last. My heart started beating, legs started shaking and eyes started to tear up.

I passed Glenn and Enid who had been silently walking amongst each other. They looked up when I brushed past them.

"Hey, Aubrey." Glenn spoke up, also speeding up a tiny bit, so that he could keep up. "wait."

"We can't, there's no time." I said, my voice sounding weird and distant. I wasn't looking behind me, only focusing on what was in front of me. Scared that if I looked back, I'd start crying.

''Aubrey,'' I heard Glenn say and the sound of his footsteps were loud and clear as he went over to me. He grabbed me by my shoulder, his face was pretty close to mine, trying to grab my attention.

''Stop it.'' He said. My bottom lip started to tremble, my eyes started to water. The sudden rush of emotions overwhelmed me and before I realized it, a sob escaped my lips. I tried to stop it and push it down, but I didn't even get the chance. I pressed my hands against my face in an attempt to hide myself, and started to cry.

Hideous, raw gasping breaths could be heard from me and I was trying not to cry out loud. Glenn's arms wrapped around mine and I placed my head on his shoulder. The stench of the garbage can and walker blood mixed together was horrible, but it was easy to ignore at the moment.

I wasn't sure why I broke down right now and not yesterday when I was confident we were going to die. Maybe because all the connection with the group had been lost, maybe because everything had been building up. The thought of Daryl dying, Olivia, Noah, Rick, Maggie, Carl, Judith. It felt like they were dead already. Everyone was gone, that's what it felt like.

''I should have told him.'' I sobbed into his shirt, Glenn pulled back a bit so he could see my face. But his hands were still on my shoulders, holding them tightly. ''I should have told him I loved him.'' At that thought, another sob escaped my lips and I let in a shaky breath to try and calm myself down.

''But I didn't. I got scared. And now I might never see him again.'' Glenn pulled me against him again. I placed a hand over my mouth to try and soften the harsh breaths I was taking.

Glenn's hands gripped my shirt tighter and I could feel his muscles tighten. I wasn't sure why, I imagined it was because of irritation. Both of us wanted everyone to be safe, we weren't wandering around anymore. We had Alexandria now. We were supposed to be safe, this was supposed to be a place where we could start over. Where Maggie could get pregnant. But we never were. Things don't just change because you want them too.

This went on for about 3 minutes. Minutes where I just leaned against Glenn, full on sobbing. When my crying slowed down to a soft hiccup, Glenn pulled away from me. He kept his hands on my shoulders.

I probably looked horrible. My eyes felt puffy and undoubtedly looked as red as my face. I was shaking and my whole face was wet with tears.

''I'm sorry,'' I hiccupped. ''I just-'' My brain wasn't thinking properly and I had no idea what I wanted to say. I sucked air into my lungs, filling them up. After a few second I let the air go, along with all my bad thoughts. This was gonna work, we were gonna make it.

''It's okay,'' Glenn told me, his brown eyes intensely staring into mine. ''Everyone's gonna be okay.'' I nodded, actually believing his words.

I turned around to see Enid. She was awkwardly staring at us. I gave her a hopeful smile, trying to make her a bit more comfortable. ''Sorry,'' I told her. She just shook her head, dismissing my apology and starting to walk forwards again.

I wasn't sure if her lack of response was a good thing.

For some weird reason. Crying had really helped me. The tension and intrusive thoughts had left my mind or were at least pushed away in the back of my mind. I was feeling more determined than ever, ready for what was coming next.

Or so I thought.

We were standing on top of the hill. The hill that had the best view on Alexandria. It looked exactly the same way we had left it. Except for the hundred walkers surrounding the perimeter. It was insane and it did make my heart sink a little bit. But they hadn't gotten inside yet, everyone there was still alright.

The day was slowly fading away, we only had a couple hours of daylight left. Which meant, time was running out. Doing anything in the dark was always risky, especially when we barely had any supplies. Enid was the only one who was carrying a backpack.

Speaking of Enid. While Glenn and I stayed determined and hopeful, Enid wasn't the same way. Her mood had gone down within the second she set her eye on the community. You could see the hope being crushed in her eyes. She turned around, the green balloons she had picked up when Glenn had started lecturing her, bouncing along.

Glenn saw her attempt to leave and quickly stalked over to her. ''Stop,'' He spoke, breaking out in a jog to keep up with her. ''I said stop!'' He raised his voice slightly when he reached her. He didn't sound angry, he just wanted to get her attention again.

She stopped and turned herself to him with fierce eyes. ''The world is trying to die.'' I walked over to the pair. Not speaking, but just listening to her. There were tears in her eyes from the hidden desperation she felt. ''We should just let it.'' My heart broke at her lack of faith in humanity or the world.

She really believed that this was the way things were supposed to be, the way they were always going to be. I realized that not only had she lost her parents, she had lost a lot more. I imagined Enid as a bright and bubbly person before everything went down, but I couldn't. Her face was constantly frowning and full of worry wherever she went.

''No,'' Glenn told her, ''You're wrong. We're not supposed to let the world die, and I'm sure as hell not gonna let you die.'' I think he struck her with those words because a few tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

She looked up at him, ''I'm sure your wife will forgive you.''

''It's not for her anymore.'' He and Enid stood close to each other, he was almost in her face, trying to make his point clear. It struck me how much he looked like a father in this scenario and I could almost feel myself start to smile. ''Look, the walls are still up. The houses are still up.''

''We'll find out the rest, okay?''

I turned around to see Alexandria again. The place we called home. It was saddening to see it like this, almost broken. But I knew we could fix this, the walkers were still outside the community. An idea popped into my head. I faced Glenn and Enid again, who had now taken a step away from each other. My eyes flickered over to Enid's backpack, or rather what was tied to it.

''Glenn,'' I said, before direction my eyes at the backpack again so he could follow it. ''The balloons.'' He quickly realized what I was trying to say and within seconds he had taken his knife and started to cut off the green balloons. I followed his example and when the seven strings had been cut off, we let them go. They floated away, into the air.

I hoped that at least someone at Alexandria would see them and realize it's us. Michonne would know, Maggie probably would too. If we were lucky they'd also distract a few walkers.

But we weren't.

We watched the balloons fly up into the sky. It was a peaceful moment, even Enid was close to smiling. I glanced over at the two as we watched the object. It almost seemed like an offering, as if this would make sure the community was safe. But most of all, it was a sign. A sign that we were still alive and coming to help.

But that moment was short lived. We heard a loud crack, followed by the groaning of a tower. We watched in horror as the white tower at the edge of the community leaned forward. It crashed with full force against the wall, making it collapse. It toppled over and collided with the ground. The sound of the tower falling apart made my skin crawl and we all had to watch as the walkers headed towards the sound, getting into the community.

The whole herd moved forwards, not stopping until they were all inside. In the meantime we rushed down, heading for our home. I had started panting, but not because of exhaustion. When we were close enough, we stopped our movements and started looking for a way in.

''The walkers are flooding into the east wall, that means that the west wall will be the first to clear up. That's how we get in.'' He started walking forward but noticed that Enid wasn't joining him. I thought I'd speak up too, for the first time.

''People are still alive in there Enid, we need to help them.'' But I don't think the words meant anything to her. She kept staring at the east wall, where the walkers were still getting in.

''This is how it happens, and it always happens.'' She looked over at me and Glenn.

''People are still in there, people who care about you.'' Glenn told her. A few seconds of silence, he glanced over at me before looking at Enid again. '''My pregnant wife.'' Her head snapped up so fast I thought she was going to get a whiplash.

''You just wanna run away, be afraid, forget about this? Just go.'' Glenn sounded pissed. ''But that's how you lose people, even after they're gone.'' He stalked away, off to the part of the wall where we could climb up a tree. It was an attempt to see how things were going in there.

Glenn went first and I quickly went after him. The way up was harder than I imagined it would be. It had been a while since I climbed a tree, my energy levels weren't the best right now and before we reached the top, I was already out of breath.

It was a chaos. That was the only way to describe it. The walkers had flooded the streets. People were running away, fighting them off. Goosebumps arrived at my body as I looked at what the community had turned into, an all-you-can-eat buffet for the dead. I saw Eugene, Rosita and Tara rush into a house, but anyone else had already found cover.

That's when I saw Maggie. She was on the outlook post. The platform she was on had been surrounded by walkers. She was hunched over, looking down at the corpses that wanted nothing more than her on the ground. One look at Glenn and I knew he had seen it too.

We needed to get to the platform, but the entrance to Alexandria was blocked with walkers. I bit my lip, knowing what needed to be done. We slowly got back on the ground again. There was a small second of silence before I spoke up.

''I'll go first.'' I pulled my machete out of my belt, clutching it tightly in my hand. ''I'll distract them for you, then you can go and get the walkers away from Maggie.'' This was going to be tough. I needed to get the walkers away from the entrance, meaning that I had to get them away from Alexandria. Let's hope that when I got back the entrance would still be empty. I didn't want to be stuck out here again. Although inside Alexandria wasn't the safest option either at the moment.

''What, no. Aubrey.'' Glenn stammered, taking a step forward. I took a step backward, shaking my head.

''You go save your wife, Glenn.'' I told him, ''Your _pregnant_ wife.'' It was a low blow because I knew Glenn couldn't argue with me. We were talking about Maggie here, she was the priority. Glenn clenched his jaw and looked me in the eye. He knew someone needed to distract the walkers. We needed to be fast.

I asked for Enid's backpack and luckily she handed it to me. There was a lighter inside, a gun and a few cans of food. I decided I would only need the lighter. Figuring they might need the gun more than I would.

''Good luck.'' I told them. I turned to Enid, who was looking at me with an expression I couldn't read. ''Stay strong,''

I walked off. My heart was pounding and my hands were sweating. After a few seconds, I decided to break out in a sprint, since that was faster. I passed the small herd that guarded the entrance, searching for something to distract them with. A few noticed me, but they were quickly taken care off. My machete slid through their heads like a knife through butter.

It had gotten dark. I could barely see anything. Which was exactly what we didn't want to happen. But every single plan we had made had gone to shit so it didn't matter anymore. I was gonna make this work.

The first useful thing I came across was a car. The keys were still in the ignition and I realized that this was the car Rick drove when we first arrived here. Michonne in the front seat, Judith in the back. Things had changed a lot since then. Rick's insane beard was gone, that was a first. But we had changed too, all of us.

I was looking for a cd so that it wouldn't be a temporary distraction. It could keep playing for at least an hour. The battery wouldn't like it, but it'd be better than having the walkers back within a few minutes. This way there was a chance I could get in too.

So I had to go to another car, hoping that maybe there'd be some music in this one. There was no key in this one, and I had no idea how to hotwire a car. So when I found a cd, I could almost scream out of joy. I rushed over to the other car. The red color that it had originally been was barely noticeable. It was covered in dirt and blood and a lot of other substances.

Within seconds I had the cd in the radio, but I didn't press 'on' yet. I turned the key and grinned as the car roared to life. I released the clutch and pressed down on the gas. I shot forwards, slamming into the seat. Upon arriving at the entrance, I pressed down on the brakes. It had already attracted a few walkers and I watched in satisfaction as they started making their way towards me.

This was it.

I pressed play on the radio and turned to volume all the way up. Bob Dylan started to blare from the speakers and I didn't know how fast I got out of there. Walker turned their heads, changed direction. I ran away from the car but tried to take as much cover as I could behind trees, bushes and old houses. Unfortunately, a few walkers had seen me and I raised my machete as the first one lunged at me. The blade embedded the skull and I pulled it out as the body collapsed.

I hadn't expected the second walker to arrive so soon. When I had just finished off the first one, the second one reached out to me, grabbing my right arm. I pushed her away with the arm she was holding and switched my machete over to my left hand. I had thrown her against the wall of one of the old houses and when her head attempted to come closer to my face, I stabbed her in the head. Her hold on my arm relaxed and she slumped to the ground.

The third one was also easily taken care of as I sliced it's head off. Because of everything that had gone on down here, I hadn't seen Glenn and Enid go inside. I really wished they had because I was going to make a run for it.

I started sprinting towards the entrance. Several walker heads turned, but I didn't care. I needed to get inside. I started groaning as I came closer to the entrance. My legs were about to give out on me, my muscles were screaming, begging me to stop. But I needed to get inside.

When I passed the walls, I stumbled and fell to the ground in exhaustion. But I didn't care. I was in. Walkers came stumbling towards me and I grabbed my machete, which had fallen along with me.

Now the hard part.

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 **I'm really sorry I didn't upload last week. It was my birthday and I finally turned 18 so Yay. I just didn't have the time, but I hope you enjoy this one :). Let me know what you think.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry I didn't upload, AGAIN. Thanks everyone who wished me happy birthday :). Life's been a bit weird right now, a lot of things are changing. So I'll try to keep uploading regularly, but I'm sorry if that doesn't work.**

 **Also this chapter isn't edited :P**

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I was cut off. I couldn't help Glenn. The walkers had stumbled towards me, blocking the way to Maggie. So I changed plans.

I could hear people fighting. So that was where I was heading. Maybe Olivia was there, or Daryl.

Walkers around me were killed off one by one. My machete sliced through every single one that was in my way. My arms were getting tired, I was panting, covered in blood. But I couldn't stop. Those were my people, my family. I sure as hell wasn't going to let them die without giving it my all.

But more and more corpses surrounded me. I stumbled backwards, finding more of them. My machete was starting to be useless. So with a sigh, I grabbed my gun. I only had one full magazine. It wasn't a lot. I pulled the trigger as much as I could.

Walkers dropped dead, but with every gunshot, more appeared. I was going to get stuck. This wasn't working. I didn't know how far I still had to go. I wasn't sure where the group was. I winced when I heard the familiar click of an empty barrel.

''No,'' I mumbled, a lump appeared in my throat as I dropped my gun. It was useless to me. I raised my machete and impaled a walker with it. ''No!'' I yelled, knowing that there was no way out now. There were too many. At least two dozen walkers were surrounding me, maybe even more. I couldn't handle this.

''Fuck!'' I screamed, putting another walker down. And another one, and another two. This wasn't how I wanted to die. Where was Daryl? Olivia? Noah? Rick? was Maggie okay?

I swung my arm backwards, ready to hit another walker. When it suddenly crashed to the ground. It's head was cut off, by nothing other than a katana. When I saw who was behind it, I could scream with happiness. Michonne's surprised face made me grin. All the desperation and anger I had a few seconds ago were gone. Behind Michonne I could see Rick and Aaron fighting the dead too.

''Having a party without me?'' I grinned. Michonne smiled at me, before swinging her katana at another walker. I joined her and before I knew it we were putting down every walker that came our way. I met Rick after a few minutes. When he saw me he asked me if everyone was alright and I nodded. To which he gave me a firm nod back. He was glad everyone was okay, before I had a chance to ask him, a walker appeared in front of me and I had to take it down, before I could turn back to Rick.

''Is everyone here alright?'' I asked and Rick's face fell even more serious. My heart skipped a beat at the thought and I waited anxiously for him to speak again, ''Rick?''

''Carl,'' His voice broke, ''He's in the infirmary.'' My heart shattered for Rick and Carl. Both of us knew we couldn't get into details right now. We were still swinging our weapons as we spoke, killing the corpses that tried to kill us.

''Olivia is too,'' Those words made me stumble backwards, as I pulled back my machete. I gasped as I heard his words. I wanted to make a run to the infirmary, but I couldn't do that. Olivia would be alright, she'll be fine. I kept telling myself that, focusing on my next question.

''Daryl?'' Was my question, but Rick gave me a glance that said it all. He didn't know. The fact that he wasn't here made my heart sink to my stomach. It made me visibly ill, but I had to push the thought away. Daryl was a grown man, who could take excellent care of himself.

''I-Is Noah alright?'' I was shouting to try and get over the groaning of the walkers. Rick nodded at me and I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding. Okay, this was going to be fine. Just keep on going.

Rick, Michonne and Aaron weren't the only ones who had come outside to fight. The whole town had. At least the ones who were capable. Gabriel was here, Rosita, Tara, Eugene, the other Olivia, Aaron's boyfriend Eric, Tobin and many more. It was a truly inspiring sight, that the people who had been so scared of these things, stepped up and helped us save their community.

Two walkers were heading towards me. I took several steps back, trying to create some space between the two bodies and me. But, I almost lost my footing as I felt the pavement behind me. I decided to use it to my advantage and leaped off of it. I swung my machete in the air, while I jumped. The machete went through the first walker and got stuck in the second, still damaging the brain. Both of them crumbled to the ground and I had to readjust my balance as the machete got pulled down with the walker.

I let it fall and as soon as the walker was on the ground, I crouched down and pulled the machete out. I realised we were standing in a formation, almost. Everyone one was together and we were like front, facing our enemy. Rick was leading us and we were following with pride.

That's when a huge explosion sounded. I jumped at the sudden loud noise and bright light. At first I thought it was an accident, that a house had been set on fire. But I quickly realised that it was the lake that had been the location of the explosion. Walkers turned their heads and headed towards the fire. The scattered ones got brought together and immediately killed off.

I noticed the van in front of the lake and someone standing on top of it. I huge smile spread across my face as I realised who it was. The huge weapon in his hand, his posture as he stared at the flames before he jumped off. Daryl was safe. He was safe.

''Don't let up!'' Rick yelled, before bringing his axe down on a walker. It was like I had gotten a sudden burst of adrenaline. I was killing walkers faster than before, there was no stopping any of us. We were full of determination, all of us. I yelled a couple times as I took down a walker, but it was because of the strength I had to give. My muscles were still aching, but it was easier to ignore now that more than half had walked straight into the fire.

Walkers dropped dead. The number began to cease, even though in the beginning that felt impossible. Everyone was panting beside me, and so was I. We were running on adrenaline. Every kill felt like a small victory. A step closer to getting our home back.

When the last walker dropped to the ground, there was a lot of sighing. After that. Hugs were exchanged, tears were shed and smiles were given and received. Tara, who was closest to me, turned to me and we wrapped our arms around each other.

''Glad you're alright,'' She said, pulling back. I nodded, ''You too.'' I walked over to Rick and we too exchanged hugs. He told me what had happened to Carl. How he got shot by Jesse's kid, Ron. Jesse was dead, Ron and Sam were too. Deanna had been bitten, they still needed to go and find out what had happened with her body.

We were all walking towards the infirmary, going to check on everybody. We weren't the only ones with that idea, we crossed the rest of the group halfway there.

Daryl was the first one I saw, or had eye for. When I saw him coming from metres away, I broke into a sprint, running over to me. Before he could head towards me I had already reached him.

I crashed into his body with full force. My arms wrapping around him and me placing my head in the crook of his neck. He lifted me off of the ground slightly as he hugged me, also placing his head in the crook of my neck. I laughed as I felt his body against mine. There were no tears of sadness, just tears of happiness.

I pulled back and looked at him. Like always when he got back from these kind of things, he looked beaten up. There was blood on his arms and clothes, but I didn't see any wounds. He seemed to check me out too. I probably looked horrible. I had barely slept for 48 hours and blood was covering my whole body. My face was full of it, due to the dumpster incident.

''I'm okay,'' I told him ''Are you?''

He gave me a smile, a real actual smile. ''Yeah,'' I wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but it felt too much like we were being watched. We pulled back from each other and I turned to Glenn. Also embracing him.

''You alright?'' I asked him and he nodded.

''Korean, almost got himself killed. We arrived just in time.'' Daryl spoke up, standing next to me and placing his hand on my back.

''Wait what? Arrived?'' I exclaimed. He wasn't here? Rick kind of told me he didn't knew where Daryl was, but I just imagined Rick lost him during the battle here.

''Ya didn't know? We got held up out there.'' He told me. His face turned into a frown. Glenn shook his head at Daryl.

''We just got here ourselves.'' Glenn spoke, Maggie appeared by his side.

''We thought you were dead.'' She said to Glenn and me, before she stepped forward to hug me and then Daryl.

''What happened?'' Daryl asked, when Maggie stepped away. I could see the panic in his eyes as he thought about everything that could have happened. I shook my head, there were more important things right now.

''I'll explain everything later.'' I looked up into his eyes. ''First, Olivia.'' I said, turning my head to the infirmary where she was.

Olivia looked pale, even compared to the bed sheets. She was breathing slowly, the heart monitor beeping steadily. The whole ordeal reminded me of when Noah was in here. He still was, but he could almost go back now. There was just a fear of getting an infection, but Denise, the new doctor, was almost 100% certain that it wasn't going to happen.

The bandage around her waist was hidden by the blanket around her. Apparently she had been stabbed during an attack. A lot had happened while Glenn and I were gone. People had attacked the community, because they had found Aaron's backpack with the picture of Alexandria on it, and they had followed their tracks. Olivia wasn't badly stabbed, she had just lost a lot of blood, because she had been too stubborn to go to the infirmary.

Tara had found her, almost passed out, and brought her here. I couldn't be more thankful for Tara, and more pissed at Liv. Who was too stubborn to go to the infirmary? She could have died. Fortunately, she had already woken up. But she was just extremely tired. She was going to live, they were just gonna let her stay here for a couple of days in case of infection.

Carl was here too, in another room. His eye had been shot of by Ron, so there was a huge wound on the right side of his face. It didn't look pretty, but he'd live.

They were checking Daryl too, who had a gunshot scratch on his arm and a small cut on his back. Still, it was enough to worry me and I watched in horror as Denise stitched up the cut on his back. I was holding Judith too. For some reason she had been put into my arms, since I was one of the only ones who hadn't gotten hurt. I didn't mind the company of the little girl.

I hadn't seen her in a while. I was playing with her little fingers as Daryl told me what had happened. He had ordered me to go first, too worried to tell his story before me. He didn't look particularly happy with what had happened, but since there was no one to blame, he had to let it go.

''-this guy, Dwight, thought I was part of the place where he came from. Kept telling me he wasn't gonna kneel. Tried telling him I wasn't who he thought, but he was too stubborn to listen.'' My eyes flickered over from Daryl to Judith as he was telling me his story. He was looking at Judith too, who was looking around with big blue eyes. The same eyes as her father.

''Then people started showin' up. The people he was runnin' from. I'd tried to make a run for it, but the damn girl was diabetic, I'd taken her medication.'' I placed my hand on his, rubbing my thumb along the top of his hand in comfort. ''We got away. The diabetic girl died shortly after. Then 'Dwight'-'' I didn't like how his face changed when he said his name, there was so much hatred directed towards him. ''- stole my bike and crossbow. 'Found the van though.'' He said, nodding to the van that was outside of the infirmary.

''Halfway home, we this group'a people blocked our way. Told us everything we owned belonged to some guy named 'Negan'. I blew them up though, bunch of assholes.'' I chuckled at his choice of words, but furthermore, I was more worried than happy. These people didn't seem like the nice type, let's hope that they were the only ones we'd encounter.

''I guess things never really go the way we planned them,'' I told him which earned me a chuckle. ''Let's hope things will die down for a while. No more fights for you sir.'' I scolded him, nodding at his wounds.

''Yes ma'am.''

I stayed with Olivia for a while, but they needed everyone to help clean up the walkers. So I had to leave again. People had started building up the wall again, while the others were throwing the mutilated walkers into a pile. We decided to burn them a little bit further away from home, so that we wouldn't lead a new herd towards us.

Maggie had told everyone at this point that she was pregnant. A lot of congratulations were given and even a few tears.

More citizens of Alexandria had died than we would have liked, but it also meant that more houses were free. Glenn and Maggie were moving into their own house, along with Tara and Sasha. Rick, Michonne, Carl, Daryl and me decided to stay in the house we were currently in. Olivia was also staying here. Carl had gotten his own room, just like Judith. It was a bit weird to go live in other people's houses, but in that perspective nothing had really changed. When we first arrived here, people had also lived in these houses.

That night I was laying in bed, reading the 'Jane Eyre' book I had brought with me from the barn. I wasn't sure if I really enjoyed the book itself, but I enjoyed reading. I could turn off my brain and place myself into a new world, a world where everything was different.

Daryl walked into the room, snapping my attention away from the book and to him. He pulled off his boots, throwing them on the ground without much thought. He shrugged off the jacket he was wearing and grabbed a towel from our closet.

''I'mma go shower, see you in a bit.'' He told me, opening the door to the bathroom.

''Want me to join you?'' I joked, he shrugged his shoulders, mumbling something under his breath as his cheeks heated up, and disappeared into the room. It didn't take long for me to place my book away and swing my legs over the bed.

I grabbed another towel and just as I heard to shower run, I opened the door and followed him in.

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 **Let me know if you liked it :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**2 months later**

''You sure you don't want me to come with?'' I asked Daryl as we were walking towards the cars. Daryl had his backpack slung over his shoulder and a list of necessary supplies in his hand.

''Nah,'' Daryl shook his head, ''Stay here.'' We both knew why he wanted me to stay. It was safe here, he didn't have to watch my every move. He knew fully well I was capable of taking care of myself, but he just wanted to avoid any dangerous situations. It could be annoying, but I was okay with it for the last few weeks. I think Daryl was confused by my lack of resistance, but he didn't question it.

When we reached the cars, Rick was already there, waiting for Daryl. I turned over to Daryl and stepped on my tiptoes to reach him.

''Good luck,'' I gave him a peck on his lips, and he leaned in slightly before I pulled away again, not letting him linger. I gave him a mischievous smile before patting his chest and sending him on his way.

''Be safe.'' I called as he opened the car door.

''I will.'' He spoke up, both of us knowing that it was a complete lie.

When I saw the car leave Alexandria, I turned around and slowly walked back towards the house.

Things had changed here. We had expanded the walls, Abraham and his crew were just taking down the older ones. Which also meant that we had more space for people. But that was the thing that was still missing, people. Aaron and Daryl hadn't gone out there a lot since the battle. Daryl vaguely told me he didn't want to bring in more people. He didn't go into detail about it, but I guessed it had something to do with this man he had met, Dwight.

Olivia had healed up nicely. She was walking around and running again. Noah had been given crutches and could now wander around with only one. We were still trying to find a replacement for his leg, but he told me he was okay with it. He was constantly drawing new plans for Alexandria. How to expand the walls even more, how to fortify them, where the best places for crops would be. We had recently started planting them, but so far we hadn't had any luck. Maggie wasn't happy about it, but she stayed optimistic.

Carl's wound had healed up too. He was wearing a bandage around his head, but he was freely moving around and he barely had to go to the infirmary again. Only for check ups. Life was actually starting to get boring. And it was amazing.

I never thought we would get here. This place was safe. The only problem we had was food. We had to ration quite a bit, which I didn't mind. I was used to it, but the people who had been here since the beginning were having a bit of trouble. We tried to cheer them up, telling them it was gonna be fine. Things were going to get better. And it helped, mostly.

I placed my hand on my stomach, ignoring the uneasy feeling I had. I hadn't had my period in a while now. Before we came to Alexandria I hadn't menstruated in a long time, I actually didn't think it was still working. Then when we arrived at Alexandria and we got the proper nourishment, my body started doing it's job again. I remember I was so surprised the first time I noticed everything worked again.

But my body had already skipped two months. I blamed it on the lack of nourishment, but I wasn't sure. Protection wasn't really around these days, Daryl and I just didn't bother with it. But at this point, I wished we had. Nothing was set in stone yet, it still could be the lesser amount of food I was eating.

I hadn't voiced my worries to Daryl, knowing he wasn't very fond of children and didn't really know how to react to this stuff. I knew I should give him more credit, he had changed significantly since the first time I met him. But I guess I was just too scared to say anything. Plus, I still didn't know anything for sure.

Going on runs weren't really done a lot anymore. At least not by me. So I usually just gave trainings and lessons in several survival skills. I had started reading a lot more, Daryl brought me book after book every time he went out there. It was nice placing myself into a different universe, one where I didn't have to fight for my life.

Even though this place was safe, all of us knew it wouldn't stay that way. We would come across another group, someone would find this community and try to take it over. We couldn't let it get that far. All of us had to be in top condition. Which is why I had been training, outside the walls. I'd been running, training myself to sprint as fast and long as I could. If I needed to run 5 miles in order to get home, I had to be prepared.

I knocked on the door of Carl's room. The boy had finally gotten his own room. Glenn and Maggie had moved out of the house and into the house Jesse used to live in, that way they'd get a little more privacy. Sasha and Noah had moved in there too. I opted against it when Noah told me he was going with Glenn and Maggie, but I knew he couldn't stop him. I wasn't the boss of him, and I sure as hell wasn't his mother. Judith had also gotten her own room. Slowly but surely, it was really turning into a girls room. Whenever anyone would find decorations or something pink, we'd hang it up in her room, along with the 'drawings' Judith made.

The door opened and Carl's head popped out of his room.

''Hmm?'' He questioned, looking up at me with one eye. The bandage around his right eye seemed fresh, so I guess he had just changed it. Considering the dampness of his hair, I figured he had showered too. The boy, as always, was wearing a shirt with some kind of comic action figure on it and wide pants that were slightly too big for him.

''You ready to go for a run?'' I asked him. When I told everyone my plan about exercising again, they thought it was fine, as long as someone was with me. No one was allowed to leave the walls alone, which was perfectly understandable. Carl seemed like the perfect comrat. He was young and energised, I'd do him good to run around a while and blow off some steam, built some muscles.

''Yeah, let me change first.'' He closed the door on me and I leaned against the wall next to it. Waiting for him to change clothes. I was already wearing a legging with a random shirt I had found. Even though our options were limited regarding to our clothes, we figured that exercising in actual sport clothes gave us an advantage. We could stretch and run around as weirdly as we wanted without having to worry if we would rip our pants.

I pushed myself off the wall and decided to go check up on the little girl. Michonne was on watch duty so Carl was actually supposed to watch her. I figured I'd just ask Olivia to keep an eye on her while we were gone. We were never gone longer than two hours or so, mostly because we needed to walk a bit before reaching our usual exercise spot.

Judith's head turned to me as she saw me walking in. Her eyes sparkled as she recognised a face, and her arm went up, pointing at me with one of her little fingers. A squeal kind of sound left her mouth and she greedily grabbed my hair as I picked her up out of her bed.

She was leaning against my hip, softly pulling at my hair in awe. It seemed as if she had forgotten the whole world around her. Her fingers grazed my hair as she felt it, before gently grabbing it and playing with it. I caressed her cheek with my finger as I watched her face.

Judith was growing, she wasn't the tiny baby anymore that I had taken with me from the prison. She was even starting to look like Lori. The eyebrows, the lips, those were all her mother's, but her eyes were blue like Rick's. The baby I had in my arms almost a year ago, wasn't the same baby I was holding now. I could only imagine Judith growing up and trying to be just like her big brother. I chuckled softly at my thoughts and imaginations as I looked at the little girl. I wondered if all of us would still be alive then.

Carl appeared in the door opening, dressed in joggings and a big grey t-shirt, probably stolen from his dad.

''Let's go.'' He said, before disappearing again. I could hear him run down the stairs as I placed Judith back in her bed, smiling as I went after Carl.

"26.6 seconds," I told him as he rushed past me, coming to an abrupt stop. He had just ran 200 metres

in 26 seconds. This was his third attempt. The first time he did it in 30 seconds and the second time in 24 seconds.

His hands were placed on his knees and his chest was heaving in an attempt to revill his lungs with the oxygen his body needed. His head had turned pinkish red and a bit of sweat was already forming on his forehead.

"I can do better." He told me, ready to go again, but I placed my hand on his shoulder. He turned to me, wondering why I'd stopped him.

"How about you catch your breath first, cowboy. Besides, it's my turn now." Carl nodded glanced at his father's head, slightly offended that I called him cowboy.

"Sure," He agreed, "but you're getting an extra two seconds for that comment." He grinned up at me and I smirked back.

The sudden realisation of how much things had changed since the beginning, hit me hard. Carl used to be this boy that desperately wanted to be a man. But now that he had let the idea of 'making his father proud' go, he had actually turned into a man. Or almost.

He had grown up so much, not just physically. He knew the difference between right or wrong, better than some adults at least, and he wasn't focused on killing anymore.

"Okay, I'm ready." I told him. I had placed my right foot behind me, my left foot in front of me, ready to lunge myself forwards.

"3,"

"2,"

"1,"

"Go-" My feet started moving on it's own accord. I just tried to push them as hard and fast as I could. These things almost felt like an outer body experience. I was still in control of my legs, but it didn't feel like it. My mind and body were two completely different things.

The air rushed passed me and hit my cheeks at the same time. My hair flew backwards and my arms were tense as I let them help me with my speed. As soon as I reached the tree Carl and I had agreed on, I turned around swiftly. My feet decided to work with me as they turned at the same time my body did. My hair whipped against my face, making me shake my head as I started sprinting again.

The fact that I had to switch directions made me lose a bit of speed but I easily picked it up. Although on my way back, my legs started to burn and my stomach twisted in an attempt to make me stop. I ignored the feelings, knowing I could go faster than this.

I passed Carl in a rush, letting my feet slow down as I finished the 'lap'.

"28.3," I groaned at the mention of my time.

"I can do better than that." I grinned at him. He chuckled as if he didn't believe me, even though he very well knew I could. My record had been 24.8 seconds, which had been 0.5 seconds slower than Carl. I always tried to beat the boy, but his youth and longer legs were never really in my favor.

I took a deep breath and readjusted my legs so that I could sprint away. When Carl gave me the signal, I lunged myself forwards. My legs ached and my stomach churned as I pushed myself to go faster. The beat of my heart was audible in my ears and my breathing felt like it was louder than an airplane. My face contorted in pain as I tried to keep going.

Within seconds I halted my movements, only having ran half of the 'track'. I stumbled to my right, where the bushes were, and hunched over. I gagged for a second, my body pushing all the oxygen out of my lungs, before throwing out my breakfast. My hand shot up to rest on a tree, so I could steady myself. There hadn't been a lot in my stomach, but that didn't stop it from trying. I heaved and gagged, as my body tried to get rid off everything.

I didn't know when Carl arrived, but he softly grabbed my arm. One hand placed on my back in an awkward attempt to comfort me. I appreciated the gesture, even if it didn't really help.

I gulped in a big breath of air, when my lungs opened again. My hands went to my knees. My chest went up and down by my panting and I looked over at Carl to see his expression.

It was one of worry and a slight hint of disgust.

''Sorry,'' I apologised, ''I guess I pushed myself a bit too hard.''

''Yeah-'' Carl said, helping me straighten up. I sighed as I stood up again. I glanced down at the ground where my disgusting food was lying. I averted my gaze immediately, regretting my decision.

''How about we go back.'' Carl suggested, seeing my pale face. I bet I didn't look very good. My face was sweaty from the running and the heaving I just did. I pushed my hair out of my face with the back of my hand, as it stuck to my forehead.

''Yeah-'' I repeated his choice of words. We collected our stuff and made our way back home.

While ignoring Carl's curious stares.

Daryl and Rick came home late that night. I had been waiting in the living room downstairs. A book lay down open next to me, but I was too worried to actually read it. This hadn't been the first time for them to get back after dark, but even after all those times, it still made me nervous.

I trusted them, but I didn't trust the world. I knew, from experience, that things didn't always turn out like you wanted them too. You could get stuck out there, there were unfriendly figures hiding behind the trees.

So when the front door creaked open I couldn't help but jump up. My book bounced off the couch and onto the floor, clearly forgotten. Daryl was the first to walk through the door and I wrapped my arms around him before he even realised what was happening. He was sweating, his back was still wet and he desperately needed a shower.

When Rick followed, I saw that Daryl wasn't the only one who needed a shower. I raised my eyebrow at their appearances, but both of them just sighed and mumbled something along the lines of 'It's been a long day'. When I had asked if they had found anything useful, they shot glances at each other and shook their heads.

''But we did get something else.'' Rick said, before quickly disappearing upstairs to go take a shower. Leaving it to Daryl to explain everything.

''There was this guy, called himself 'Jesus', took our truck and accidently drove it into the lake.'' He told me as I sat down on the couch again, Daryl followed my lead and I threw my legs over his, making myself comfortable. ''Prick.'' He mumbled afterwards, regarding the guy.

''What did you do to him?''

''I opted to leave him, but Rick said we should take him with us. So he's in the basement of the infirmary.'' I frowned at the fact that Daryl had wanted to leave him behind. At the beginning of our stay in Alexandria, Daryl wanted to bring more people in, but now he seemed very against the idea.

''Is this because of this- Dwight guy?'' I questioned, grabbing his hand. At the mention of Dwight he tensed immediately, but he made himself calm down. I attempted to soothe him, rubbing my thumb along the back of his hand.

''I- I can't risk it. We ain't responsible for other people. Gotta take care of our own.''

''You don't mean that.'' I told him, tilting my head to see if he was really telling the truth. ''I hate to quote him but 'People are the most important resource in the world'.''I quoted Aaron from that day at the barn.

''You remember that?'' I asked him, ''He didn't have to take us in, he could have just kept searching for people that were more-'' I stopped for a second, searching for the right word. ''-Community friendly.''

''They needed us,'' Daryl grumbled, obviously still in denial.

''And we might need someone out there. Like Morgan.'' Morgan had been the one person who I still had been unsure off. I met him back in King County, when he was a crazy mad man. But he seemed to have changed, he seemed clearer. More calm. I just hoped he wasn't going to endanger us.

Daryl sighed and I decided to stop my speech. I had said my piece and if he wanted to take that into account, that was his choice. He obviously had a lot to think about. He rubbed his face for a second before turning to me again.

''How was your day, I miss anything?''

I shrugged at his question, thinking about the run Carl and I did.

''I exercised today, threw up because of it.'' I chuckled sheepishly. Daryl furrowed his eyebrows at my answer and his hand shot up to touch my forehead, to check my temperature.

''No fever.'' He mumbled, gently cupping my face and turning it in several directions to check for any sickness or indifferences. I grabbed his hands in between while i let out a laugh.

''I'm fine.'' I said, pressing his hands, that were in between mine, against my cheek.

''I promise.''

* * *

 **Yesss I know Judith isn't Rick's, but Aubrey doesn't know that so that's why she thinks the blue eyes come from Rick. Also I´m thinking about doing a POV from Daryl. Thoughts on that?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Heeey, sorry for the late update. Because I have been such a piece of shit, I'll update tonight too. So hope you're excited for that** :P

* * *

I opened my eyes, a bit groggy as I took in the light that was streaming across the room. My back was facing Daryl, so with closed eyes, I turned around, swinging my arm so that it would fall onto Daryl's chest. Except I was met with cold sheets.

My eyes snapped open, panicking for a second, before realising that Daryl hadn't gotten to bed at all. He didn't trust this guy named 'Jesus', even though he was tied up and locked in the basement. Daryl told me he'd keep watch, at least until someone else would release him. I guess he didn't want anyone to take over. I offered, but he wouldn't let me, in case I was getting a fever of some sorts.

I threw my sheets off of me and started to get dressed. It was still quite early in the morning, but I didn't mind. Sleep was never really something I could drag out. When I woke up, I could never get back to sleep. I put on a basic shirt and jeans and added my holster which had my gun in it. Some deodorant was sprayed, my hair was brushed and one glance in the mirror was enough to determine I looked fine.

I opened the door and almost absentmindedly walker down the hall to the stairs. My heart missed a beat when I noticed an unfamiliar figure standing at the top of the stairs, glancing at the wall. Within seconds my gun was out of my holster and into my hand. Cocking it would make too much noise so I waited a bit, slowly walking forwards.

The man in question wasn't exceptionally tall, but he was of average height. His beanie covered the top of his long hair and he was wearing some kind of dark overcoat. When he stepped forward, I stopped walking. Observing him for a second. His hands reached out and grabbed something off the wall, I couldn't see what it was, but when he sat down again, I rushed over to him. In case it was something harmful.

''Don't move.'' I said while cocking my gun. He sat up a little straighter, but otherwise did as he was told. ''Who are you and what are you doing here?'' I didn't ask it as a question, it was more of a demand.

He turned his head slightly towards me as if to see who I was. ''I'm Jesus.'' He spoke, confirming my suspicion. ''And I'm simply sitting on the steps, looking at this painting.''

''Where's Daryl?'' I questioned since Daryl was the one who had to keep an eye on him. He opened his mouth, but didn't even have time to answer. Rick and Michonne came rushing over to me. Michonne looked distraught, while Rick was only wearing pants. Rick glanced over from Jesus and back to me, putting his hand up.

''Hey- ehm.'' I raised my eyebrow at him, questioning his and Michonne's state. The situation did have some humour in it if Jesus wasn't sitting in front of me. Our front door burst open and within seconds, Daryl, Glenn and Abraham came running down the stairs, taking in the scene. Daryl's eyes glanced over to me and Rick before settling on Jesus. Everyone's gun was raised, except Rick and Michonne's.

''It's okay.'' Michonne told us, letting us know we could put down our guns. My arms wavered a bit, before letting my gun rest in my holster again. I trusted them. If they said it was okay. Then I guess it was okay.

''You said you wanted to talk,'' Rick spoke up, ''Let's talk.''

Daryl was tinkering with the RV. I was standing next to him, my arms crossed over each other. I liked watching Daryl, watching him move, his reactions to certain things. His concentrated face.

Jesus was from a community like ours. When the guy freed himself from the basement, slipping past Daryl, he checked our arsenal. When he saw our low rations of food, he offered to trade. We'd go to his community and attempt a trade with the man in charge.

So that's what we were doing. Daryl was getting the RV ready, while the rest was packing up. I figured I wouldn't need anything since we were only going to check it out.

It was difficult to believe that there were more communities like us. Jesus had explained that they were already trading with other groups and we could potentially be added to the list. I wondered where these communities were holding up. How many were there? Could we possibly trade with them too? Could we even trust Jesus? So far he seemed to be telling the truth.

My head snapped over to Denise, as she came walking over. She handed something wrapped in plastic to Daryl. ''Here,'' She spoke, ''Homemade oatcake.'' Daryl turned around, surprised at her sudden appearance.

''Complex carbohydrates, omega 3's.'' She explained. I smiled at them, finding Denise sweet for thinking about him.

''Nah, I'm good.'' Daryl rejected Denise, turning back to the RV ''We're gonna make a pit stop, I'll pick up something then.'' My foot shot out to kick him in the leg. He looked my way, glaring at me for kicking him. But I just looked away, acting as if I had done nothing.

''Like rabies?'' Denise told him when she glanced my way I gave her a wink, telling her she was doing good. Daryl needed a push sometimes, rejecting someone was the easier way for him. That way he felt like it would stop him from caring.

''Is this 'cause I tried to get you that stuff?'' Daryl questioned, shutting the hood of the car and wiping his hands off on his cloth.

''Yeah,'' Denise agreed, ''And you remind me of someone I used to know.'' Daryl glanced at her, trying to figure it out.

''Well,'' He said, grabbing the cake, ''I hope it tastes better than it looks, cause it looks like shit.'' He glanced down at the cake as a father that was forced to accept something horrible his son just made.

''Shit's better than roadkill,'' Denise told him. Realising what she said she shook her head and started stammering other words. ''Okay maybe- Just- Just eat it.''

I grinned at her awkwardness, knowing that I used to act like that. An awkward little mouse. I didn't really know Denise, but she seemed nice. I mean, not everyone would do this for Daryl, most of them shied away from him, only seeing his tough appearance.

''Let's chew up some asphalt,'' Abraham interrupted everyone and we all followed him inside the RV. Daryl walking in last and shutting the door behind him.

The drive wasn't long. The vehicle slowed down after 20 minutes.

''Rick, what's up?'' Daryl questioned, sitting up a bit straighter to see what was going on. I sat up from my lounging position to look out the window at the same time Rick spoke up.

''We've got a crash ahead. Looks like it just happened.'' He was right, A car had been toppled over on its side. A walker that was once a human crushed underneath it. It's one arm that wasn't trapped under the vehicle was stretched out towards the RV, as if it could grab it.

There was no sight of any survivors yet, they must have fled the scene.

Jesus's face changed with worry as he looked at the crash in front of him. ''It's one of ours.'' All of our heads snapped over to him. My eyes immediately went to Rick's, wanting to see his reaction. The expression of distrust on his face was clear. This meant that we all had to be extra careful, who knew if Jesus was lying or not. It might be a trap.

As soon as the RV came to a halt, Jesus hopped out, looking for his people. He circled around the car to check for anything unusual. With a disappointed face, he turned back around, only to have a gun shoved in his face by Rick, who was eyeing him with hesitation.

''If this is a trick, it won't end well for you.'' He said. I stood beside Daryl, who was holding his gun, but not raising it. I had taken out mine as well, but since there was no direct threat, I let it hang beside me.

''They don't-'' Jesus sighed and started over, ''We don't have a lot of fighters.'' Daryl stepped away from me and towards Jesus and Rick, searching the area in case any of us had missed something.

''I know how this looks, but I'll play it out.'' He took a slight step forward, extending his hand out towards Rick as a gesture. ''Can I borrow a gun?''

''No,'' Daryl interrupted Jesus. I wouldn't have given Jesus a gun either, so I was kind of relieved that Daryl told him no. ''We got tracks right here.'' He added, pointing to something I couldn't really see. I had practised with Daryl a couple of times in the past, but never enough to track animals on my own. I had just started to figure out patterns and how to walk more silent when I got taken to the hospital. After that we just kind of stopped.

The tracks led us to a nearby building, it seemed to be a small office of some sorts. Rick banged on the door a couple of times to attract any walkers inside.

''They gotta be in there.'' Jesus spoke up. We were all circled around him, in case he tried anything. But he knew that it wasn't in his best interest, at least not if his people were really in there. I think we could trust Jesus, to a certain degree. He seemed to be alright, he hasn't lied to us so far.

''How we know this ain't firecrackers in a trash can?'' Daryl spat at Rick, while walking towards him. I had no idea what he meant by that, but Jesus appeared to know what he meant because he turned around harshly,

''You don't.'' Rick took a step forward.

''We'll get your people. You're staying here with one of us.'' Rick pulled out his handcuffs and started to put them around Jesus's wrists. Glenn walked over to Maggie, asking her if she wanted to stay.

''Yeah, I'll stay.'' Maggie told him.

I glanced over at Daryl, who wasn't really paying attention to me at the moment, he was more focused on Jesus, who was the 'threat' for now. My eyes found it's way over to Maggie, or to be more precise, her belly.

''I'll stay too.'' I spoke up. Heads turned my way in surprise. I wasn't usually the one to back out on a mission. But I kept my head up and nodded in confirmation. Daryl wasn't bothered by it at all, I think he was more relieved than anything. But the confusion in his eyes wasn't missed as he looked at me. I gave him a small smile, letting him know that I was fine.

''You hear me whistle, you shoot him'' We both nodded at him. Jesus seemed nervous, his eyes kept glancing over to the door. I really hoped that he was telling the truth, also about the fact that they weren't really fighters. It meant that we could easily take them if we needed to. I just hoped we didn't need to.

Maggie glanced over at me, observing me. I guess she was wondering why I chose to stay behind too. I avoided her eyes, staring directly at Jesus instead. I didn't want to answer any questions.

My hand clenched and unclenched around the gun, trying to hide the sweat. Jesus kept glancing at the door and back to us. I wondered what he was thinking, he seemed smart enough to not do anything. He didn't look like he was planning an escape.

''What's Hilltop like?'' I questioned. No one said we weren't allowed to talk. There were two of us. We could easily take him on if anything happened. My question threw him off guard and he had to think, before answering.

''It's-'' His hands were by his side, fiddling with something on his jacket, suggesting he was nervous. ''Smaller than your community. We have everything necessary to survive, but not a lot more than that.''

It sounded like we could profit from that. We had enough guns, we could provide. We had a decent amount of medicine, but the food could be a problem.

''Who are the other communities you are trading with?'' Maggie asked him.

''I'm afraid, I can't discuss that with you.'' It seemed fair. I accept the answer with a nod, Maggie did too. The conversation fell silent after that. Making the wheels turn in my head.

Trading with another group was a good idea, all of us knew it. As long as the community could be trusted. Being able to help each other when things were going bad was smart. Our community was expanding, civilization was starting to grow. We would acquire more than the basic needs. If Maggie and Glenn were gonna have a baby, they needed certain stuff, they probably weren't going to be the last either. More couples were going to get pregnant, we needed to prepare ourselves. Getting help from other communities was the key. More knowledge was more power. Fewer threats.

I jumped when Rick appeared from the building, slamming the door open in the process. He had a man's arm slung over his shoulder as he attempted to hold him up. Maggie and I instantly put away our guns, realising there was no threat anymore.

Glenn, Daryl, Michonne and Abraham arrived from the building a few seconds later. There were three other people with them. Everyone hurried over to the RV, wanting to leave already.

Daryl adjusted his pace so he was walking next to me.

''Y'alright?'' He asked. There was more behind that question, he wasn't just referring to right now. I looked up at him and with all the confidence I could muster I nodded. ''I am.''

Apparently, we had saved a doctor. His name was Harlan. The man used to be an obstetrician, so Glenn and Maggie were absolutely over the moon. They had been talking to him the entire ride. Glenn asking nervous questions about pregnancy. They had looked pretty cute. Glenn cringing at the gross details and Maggie not being able to contain her smile whenever he did.

It didn't take long before we arrived at the Hilltop. I stepped out of the RV with Daryl closely by my side. We strolled over to the gates, which were made of tree trunks, the ends had been sharpened, preventing people from climbing over the gates.

''Hold it right there.'' Someone called from above. All of us instantly cocked our guns, aiming it at the voice on top of the wall.

Jesus held his hands up, letting them, and us, know there was nothing to worry about.

''Calm down,'' Jesus spoke. I think he was regarding the two men on top of the gates, but he easily could have been talking to us. Either way, I repositioned my hands around my handgun, not lowering it. ''They're with me.''

''Hand over your guns!'' A sandy blonde haired man ordered us, the spear in his hand raised and ready to be thrown.

''Why don't ya come and get them?'' Daryl spat back, restlessly shifting his weight.

''Look we vouch for these people alright? They saved us.'' The doctor, Harlan, spoke up. But before anyone could even move Rick stepped forward to talk to Jesus.

''I'm not taking any chances, tell your guys 'Gregory' to come out here.'' Jesus clenched his jaw together, but only for a split second so that it was barely noticeable, nevertheless it made me grip my handgun a bit tighter, in case he made a wrong move.

''No,'' Jesus spoke up, ''Didn't you see? I'm letting you keep your guns. I trust you, now trust us.''

Rick glanced around his group, wanting to see our reactions to this. I wasn't sure what everyone else thought but when Rick's eyes met my own I gave him a nod, letting him know I agreed.

Jesus hasn't done anything yet to make us lose our trust. So far he seemed to be a good guy.

Rick signalled for us to lower our guns, which we all did, and the gates opened for us.

Jesus walked in front of us, turning around with a smile on his face.

''Welcome to the Hilltop.''


	20. Chapter 20

**Yeey finally at chapter 20. Also the second update of today! This is a very very bad chapter, I'm sorry for my writing. I just couldn't get into it.**

* * *

''Good gracious, ignatius'' Abraham mumbled behind me.

''Yeah, you can say that.'' I told him, feeling the urge to whistle.

Jesus had led us inside the building that had been positioned in the centre of the Hilltop. The walls were covered in expensive paintings, a rug with a small table in the middle of the room, and a huge staircase leading to the second floor.

''Most rooms have been converted into bedrooms, even the ones that weren't before,'' Jesus explained, letting us roam around a bit.

The hallway was already astonishing. I've always had a soft spot for historical places, we could learn a lot from history. At least that's what I always thought, but still, the same mistakes kept being made. Even now, in this world, history repeats itself constantly.

I stood in front of a painting, admiring the stone cold woman who was portrayed on the canvas. Her eyes looked dead and her mouth was pulled into a thin line. Like every other person on a painting, her skin was too white and the hair on her head was most likely a wig. Musea and antique pieces seemed worthless right now. We didn't need it anymore. There was no time for visiting a museum and looking at ancient objects.

''People live here and the trailers?'' Rick asked Jesus, referring to the trailers outside the building.

''We plan to build.''

The white double doors next to Jesus opened and behind it stood a man. He was wearing a simple suit. His hair was clean and beard was trimmed. He looked to be around his fifties, closer to sixty. His eyes glanced nervously around him, taking us in, but he hid it with a sense of pride.

''Jesus.'' He spoke up, something in his tone seemed off, as if he didn't want us here. ''You're back.'' Jesus gave him a polite smile and nod, but the tension between them didn't go unnoticed by me and when I made eye contact with Michonne I knew she hadn't missed it too.

''With guests.'' He said.

''Everyone, this is Gregory.'' Jesus told us, extending his arm out to Gregory, so our attention would go to him. ''He keeps the trains running on time around here.''

''I'm the boss.'' Gregory barely waited for Jesus to finish talking. I bit on my bottom lip to show my disapproval, without speaking up.

''Well, I'm Rick. We have a community-

''Why don't you all get washed up.'' Gregory interrupted him, stepping forward and making eye contact with him.

''We're fine.''

''It's hard to keep this place clean.'' He told our leader. They were standing quite close, daring one another to do something. Rick's jaw twitched slightly and he sucked in an unnoticed breath.

''Yeah, sure.''

Jesus glanced from Gregory to Rick, unsure how to respond to this whole ordeal, but he seemed annoyed. I crossed my arms over each other, realising this was going to be harder than expected. Gregory seemed stubborn, blinded by his pride.

''Follow me.'' Jesus spoke up, trying to minimize his glares directed to Gregory. He led us up the beautiful stairs. I was walking next to Michonne in silence, but when we looked at each other, I knew we were thinking the same thing. 'This was going to be hard.'

* * *

I splashed some water in my face. 'washing up' as Gregory had ordered us to. I couldn't deny I looked filthy, that day had been hot. A few drops of sweat had gathered around my head so I didn't mind cleaning up a bit.

I didn't take long, so within seconds I left the bathroom and let Michonne in.

I walked over to another room, curious to see the rest of the building. Jesus had told us it used to be a museum, which was why a lot of people came here after the world went to shit.

I caressed the outside of a painting. It was a landscape. A river was in the centre, around it were several trees and bushes. I paid attention to the detail of it all, wondering how long it would have taken to make this. Did the painter intend to make it as peaceful as it looks? Or was it just supposed to be quick painting to get his mind of real life?

''So how long do you think Rick and Michonne have been ugging bumplies?'' I heard Abraham's voice. It sounded like it was coming from around the corner. I wanted to walk over to them, but when Daryl started to speak I stopped for some reason.

''I don't know.'' He grumbled, obviously not really caring.

''You ever think about it? Actually settling down?'' Abraham asked and my heart skipped for a second. No words were spoken, and I could feel my heart beating in my ears.

''Ya know,'' Abraham continued, ''Making it official with Aubrey, getting kids?''

My hand repositioned itself on my stomach, gripping my shirt tightly with my fist. My ears were straining, listening in for an answer.

''You think shit's settled?'' Daryl said after a few seconds, ''It ain't for me.'' Walking away to the bathroom.

My heart sank and I suddenly felt like a huge weight had been thrown on my shoulders. It was crushing me. I sucked in a shaky breath, I focused on the ground below me, trying to keep the tears away. ' _You already knew this Aubrey_ ,' I told myself. Still, it felt like Daryl himself had just punched me.

After a few seconds I looked up and my heart stopped when I saw who was looking at me.

A few metres away stood Maggie. Her eyes narrowing in on me. She flickered over to my hand on my stomach when I realised what she was doing I forced my hand to relax and placed it beside me. But it was already too late. Maggie stalked over to me. She opened her mouth to speak, but I shook my head, gesturing to around the corner. Where Abraham was still standing.

She gently grabbed my hand, leading me to another room. She closed the door behind her before turning to me.

''Are you?'' She asked me. My eyes refused to make eye contact, scared my eyes might confirm it. Though it didn't matter anymore. My hands were shaking by my side, I clenched them into fists, attempting to hide it. But Maggie had already seen them.

''Are you?'' She demanded this time.

''I don't know.'' I whispered, my voice sounding broken and vulnerable. My eyes connected with hers and tears threatened to spill. My throat hurt with restricted emotion and I suddenly felt very cold.

''It's okay,'' She told me, stepping forward and engulfing me in a hug. Her arms wrapped around my neck and I tangled my hands together behind her back. I tried to push back all the emotions I had, which was harder than I wanted it to be. I pressed my lips together, holding back the sobs and instead I took a few deep breaths in through my nose.

Maggie let me, she gave me some time to recollect myself before letting go. Her hands lingered on my shoulders, comforting me.

''Dr. Carson can examine you. Glenn and I are going there after the-''

''You can't tell anyone.'' I told her, panic flooding my eyes. My hands shot up to grab her elbows and my eyes went wide. A flash of confusion flew across Maggie's face, but she nodded anyway.

''I won't.''

''Not even Glenn?'' I asked her. I knew she told Glenn everything. I mean he was her husband after all, but I couldn't risk it. Glenn was terrible at keeping secrets.

''Not even Glenn.'' She said, her voice full of confidence. I let out a sigh, trusting her.

Rick came in through the door and when his eyes fell on Maggie he walked over to her.

''Gregory is ready to talk.'' He spoke.

Apparently, Rick had stepped back and decided to let Maggie do the talking. Considering Gregory's attitude, he figured he wouldn't be the best person to negotiate with him. I fully agreed. This was all about ego and pride. Neither of them would admit to each other that they needed help. Which we did, and I was sure they could use some help too.

Jesus said they ran out of ammo months ago. We could easily take over the place, with the number of guns we had. So they needed this trade as much as we did. Plus, Maggie could use a gynaecologist. Maybe I could too.

Maggie nodded in response. She seemed extremely fierce in that moment. Like nothing in the world could bring her down. I would not have messed with her.

She patted me on the shoulder twice, mumbling an 'it's okay', although I think it was more for her than it was meant for me. Maggie turned away from me and walked away out of the room, also exchanging looks with Rick.

I think she was more nervous than she let on.

Rick's eyes went over to me when she was gone.

''Hey, you alright?'' He asked me. I immediately nodded, maybe a little bit too fast. ''You sure?''

''I'm fine, Rick. It has just been a tough couple of weeks.'' I forced a smile out of my mouth afterwards. I could only imagine how fake my smile looked. No laugh wrinkles, the smile not reaching my eyes. But it was the best I could do right now. My mind felt cluttered like a train was driving around in my head. But every time I was too late for the train and had to run to the next stop.

I rushed out of the room before he could ask any more questions. My need to be alone grew. I felt like I was suffocating, breathing was hard and my chest tightened.

My feet took me to the staircase, going down and immediately heading to the door that led outside. Maggie would be talking to Gregory for a while anyway.

When the fresh air hit my skin, I took a deep breath. Letting the oxygen go through my nose into my lungs felt better than I expected. Things didn't feel jumbled into a big mess anymore, it was as if I was putting pieces of a puzzle together.

I knew it was only a temporary escape. I had to go back in there and this feeling, obviously, wasn't going to last forever.

I missed telling Daryl everything. The time where I didn't have any secrets to hide. I just wanted the unknown of me being pregnant to be over with. The only reason I didn't test it already, was because I was terrified. Being oblivious meant that I could pretend it wasn't there. But I also wanted to know, so I could take care of this human that was supposedly growing inside me. Which sounded absolutely terrifying.

I wandered off. Exploring the community a bit more, instead of thinking.

Everything seemed so incredibly pure here. They didn't have a lot of developed equipment, so they just had to make do. They had a smith, a baker and a few gardeners. They had tons of crops and looked like they knew what they were doing. I was sure Maggie would love to hear their secrets and ways.

As I kept walking I came across a stand you would often see on the market. It was filled with fruits and vegetables. People were standing in line to grab whatever they needed, while some other person crossed their name off the list.

The guy that had been guarding the gate when we arrived was heading my way, eating an apple. When his gaze met mine he gave me a polite smile and introduced himself to me.

''Hi, I'm Kal.'' He spoke, holding out his hand that wasn't holding the apple. I couldn't help but look at the apple for a second, realizing how hungry I was. I cleared my throat and shook his extended hand.

''Aubrey, sorry for the trouble we gave you at the gate.'' I apologized on everyone's behalf. Even though I wasn't completely sorry, we were being cautious after all. I felt like since everything eventually worked out, an apology was a polite way to start a conversation.

''It's fine. Eduardo and I were being dicks too.'' He grinned up at me, letting go of my hand. ''I assume you know about Negan. So since then, we have been pretty hesitant about letting new people in.'' He took another bite out of his apple as he waited for my response. But I was just slightly shocked.

''Did you just say Negan?'' My hand shot out to my gun. Not grabbing it, but making sure it was still there and ready to use it. Instantly, all my walls had shot up. This Negan had been the leader of the group of people that had tried to blow Daryl, Abraham and Sasha up. Now that this guy was bringing him up, it couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

Kal's eyes shot over to my gun and back to me.

''You don't know?'' He said. He was unarmed, vulnerable. He was fully aware of that. His shoulders had tensed and the apple was having a rough time in his clenched hand.

''Are you part of this group of Negan?'' Was my first question, since that was the big question. It was the only reason why I hadn't pulled out my gun yet.

''What, no. Negan and his group, are the ones who steal our supplies.'' My hand let go of my gun. In relief and confusion. Kal relaxed when he saw my arms crossing each other instead of raising my gun.

''They steal your supplies?''

''Gregory tells us it's a 'deal', but it ain't much of a deal. Let me tell you that. They take a huge part of our supplies, in return, they don't kill us.'' Kal's expression had changed. He looked angrier. As if he was thinking back to something. Then he seemed to remember something and his eyes flashed back to me.

''How do you know them?''

''A few people of my group met them on the road. They weren't really 'nice'. So we blew them up.'' A said. Maybe I was bragging a little bit. But I couldn't help it. Daryl indeed blew them up. While they got their stuff taken away from them, our group managed to take them down.

Kal whistled, ''Nice.''

I nodded, a grin spreading across my face.

Maybe this place could actually work out. Kal seemed nice enough, Jesus too. I was still doubtful about Gregory. He seemed to be controlled by his ego and pride. Let's hope he could set that aside while talking to Maggie.

The gates opened behind Kal and people came barging in. Kal himself turned around and I heard him mumble a bunch of curse words before sprinting over to the group. At the same time, Gregory and the rest of my group emerged from the house.

Gregory was up front, leading the group forwards alongside Jesus. Rick and Maggie were behind them keeping a firm pace.

The three people that had just arrived from the gate marched towards Gregory. There was a man with a beard who reminded me of Abraham. Behind him walked a woman who seemed to be around the same age as me, probably younger. And beside her was another man. All of them looked angry. Their shoulders were tense as they walked and they took huge strides, signalling their impatience.

''Ethan, what happened to everybody else?'' Gregory spoke up, coming to a halt when the two groups reached each other.

I stood on the side, next to Kal. I made eye contact with a few of the group members. When I came across Daryl, I ignored his words that rang through my head, but instead gave him a nod that confirmed I was alright.

Daryl's shoulders relaxed slightly at my safety and we both directed our attention to the exchange between Ethan and Gregory.

''Tim, Marsha-'' The leader of the Hilltop listed them off.

''They're dead.'' The man named Ethan responded, his voice emotionless as he spoke. Except for the anger that was vibrating off of him.

''Negan?'' Gregory said, ''We had a deal.'' I saw something twitch in Rick's face at the mention of Negan and he wasn't the only one. The rest of the group had noticed too, just like I did.

''He said it wasn't enough.''

''Was the drop light?'' The other man added.

''They still have Craig.'' The woman spoke up. She was the only one who actually seemed hurt by everything. The other two just looked pissed off, while she seemed genuinely saddened by Craig's kidnapping.

''They said they'd keep him alive.'' The first man, Ethan, spoke in a gentle voice. He took a step forward. ''If I deliver a message to you.''

Ethan's hand went up to rest on Gregory's shoulder. At first, it seemed as a way of comfort. Gregory didn't seem bothered by it and asked the man what it was he needed to say. Ethan's hand tightened around the leader's shoulder, just slightly.

''I'm sorry-'' The knife was pulled out a lot quicker than any of us could have foreseen. I heard the sound of flesh breaking, Gregory gasping and falling onto the ground.

All of us rushed forward. Maggie and Jesus grabbed Gregory as he collapsed, immediately attempting to slow down the bleeding. I stepped forward and punched Ethan in the face. In the second after, Michonne and Rick pulled him away.

Ethan pushed Michonne off of him and lunged for Rick. But he was too quick and within seconds, Rick kneed the man into his gut, making him double over in pain. They started to fight and wrestle for dominance.

While Abraham tackled the other guy to the ground, but for some reason, the guy found his way on top and started to struggle Abraham. I took a step forward to help him when the woman swung her fist back against my cheek.

I hadn't seen her coming, so I was shocked at the sudden force of her fist. My head snapped over to the side, making me stumble. Though I soon recovered and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. With my arm, I pulled her against me, so that she'd lose her balance. Before throwing her on the ground, making her back off.

That's when I heard yelling.

''Anyone's who's stopping me is killing my brother!'' My body turned around just in time to witness Rick forcing a sharp piece of wood in Ethan's neck. Blood spluttered out of the wound and onto Rick's lower face and neck, even while attempting to keep the man's neck as far away from him as possible.

Remembering Abraham's situation, I looked over to see if he was alright. He was lying down on the ground, the man that had attempted to strangle him had collapsed on the floor next to him. Daryl was standing there, looking over at Rick.

I did the same. My attention went back to Rick. On my way, I glanced over the people that were standing around. They seemed shocked. Their faces one of grief and disgust. When I looked at Rick I understood why.

I knew that the blood somehow seeped through his hands, but this seemed like someone threw a whole bucket on him. He stumbled up, orienting himself again. He noticed the looks people were giving him and raised an eyebrow.

''What?''


	21. Chapter 21

Gregory had been carried to the infirmary and patched up. He'd be fine, nothing had been severely damaged, his organs were still untouched. Even though everything turned out alright, the tension had risen slightly between the Hilltop and us.

We were the ones that had killed one of their friends and the issue with Greg still needed to be solved.

We were standing in Gregory's office. My back was against the wall and I was standing next to Daryl. There was silence as we watched Jesus walk into the room, explaining to us that Gregory was alright and everything was settled.

''We heard the name Negan,'' Rick spoke up, sparking everyone's interest. I shifted slightly in my spot and saw that Daryl did the same thing. ''A few weeks ago Daryl and Abraham had a run in with his man. Who is he?''

Jesus glanced over to Abraham and Daryl when Rick addressed them. Then his eyes went back to Rick and he opened his mouth. ''Negan is the head of a group of people he calls the saviors. As soon as the walls were built the saviors showed up. They met with Gregory on behalf of their boss. They made a lot of demands, even more, threats. And they killed one of us. Rory, he was 16 years old.''

Goosebumps shortly covered my skin as I listened to what he was saying. Killing somebody without reason was already horrible, but they killed a teenager?

''They beat him to death, right in front of us. Said we had to understand-'' There was a slight pause as he thought back to that moment. His eyes glazed over slightly and a frown appeared on his face. ''Right off the bat.''

''Gregory's not good with confrontation. He's not the leader I would have chosen, but he helped make this place what it is and the people like him. They demanded half of everything. Supplies, crops, our livestock, it goes to the saviors.'' Daryl exchanged a look of disbelief with me as if he couldn't believe that they just let these saviors do their thing.

''What do you get in return?'' I asked him.

''They don't kill us.''

''Why not just kill them?'' Daryl spoke up, taking a slight step forward.

''Most of the people here don't even know how to fight, even if we had ammo.'' At that point, I just felt bad for the whole community. There were children here, wives and husbands. None of them had ever learned how to fight, except for a few. Normally I would consider them lucky, but they were in a twisted situation right now.

''How many people does Negan have?'' Rick asked him.

Jesus shrugged, ''We don't know, we've seen groups as big as 20.''

''Hold up,'' Daryl said, ''So they show up, they kill a kid and you give them half of everything?'' His eyes connected with mine and I gave him a slight nod in the millisecond that he looked at me. ''These dicks just got a good story. The boogeyman, he ain't shit.''

''Well, how do you know?'' Jesus retorted.

''A month ago we IDK WHAT ABRAHAM FUCKING SAYS HERE SO YOU BETTER LOOKS THIS UP.''

''You know what, we'll do it.'' Daryl suddenly suggested. ''If we go get your man back, kill Negan, take out his boys, will you hook us up?'' He pointed at Jesus and I couldn't help but smile proudly at the man in front of me. He took charge. He has changed so much since I first met him. He could definitely be a leader if he wanted to.

''We want food medicine and one of them cows.'' He finished, placing his hands on his belt and standing tall.

Jesus looked over at Rick for confirmation or some kind of acknowledgment. ''Confrontation is not something we've had trouble with.''

Jesus glanced at the group, taking in the offer he had just been handed. A slight smile spread across his face, ''I'll take it to Gregory.''

While Jesus was talking to Gregory about the deal, Maggie dragged me along with her, away from the group. At first, I thought she wanted to talk about the possibility of me being pregnant. But when we stopped by a trailer I knew her plans.

''No,'' I told her, already turning around. She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the trailer, knocking on the door.

''You need to know.'' Was the only thing she said, and even though I hated it. I knew it was true. I sighed, letting my shoulders sag. She took that as a signal to drop my arm. She gave me a look, her head tilted slightly in the way that it always does when she's inspecting someone and said. ''You can't run away from this.''

Before I could answer, the door opened and Doctor Carson appeared in the doorway. He seemed to be cleaning his hands with a cloth and gave us a smile when he saw us.

''Maggie and-'' He anticipated my answer as he held out his hand for me to shake.

''Aubrey,'' I told him while shaking his hand, feeling extremely nervous.

''Aubrey,'' He repeated after me and we dropped our hands. ''I guess you are here to have me check up on you?'' He said, regarding Maggie.

'"Actually we are here for Aubrey.'' His eyebrows shot up in surprise, wondering if I had any injuries. When no words were spoken, a smile spread across his face.

''Congratulations then,'' He told me but I interrupted him.

''I'm not sure yet.'' My tone of voice was slightly rude, but I didn't really want anyone's congratulations, especially not when nothing had been confirmed.

He stepped aside, opening the door for us a little more. We came in the small trailer. There was a medical chair to the left, with the machine that provided echoes. I involuntarily swallowed when I saw it and I realized I didn't want him to do any tests on me. I just wanted to know and then I'd be gone.

''Can I just get a pregnancy test?'' I asked him before he could even speak or suggest anything.

''Yes, of course.'' He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a single pregnancy test. ''You can do it here, or at your home. Whatever you're most comfortable with.''

I definitely didn't want to do it here, too scared the result would show on my face out there. It would be best to do it at home, where I could hide from everyone and do it in silence. But what if somebody would find my pregnancy test? How would I sneak it with me?

''I-'' I bit my bottom lip, thinking about it. ''I'd like to take the test with me.''

He nodded, patting me on the back. ''It's gonna be alright.'' He told me, seeing the stress on my face.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. Because we wouldn't know. Maybe it wasn't going to be alright. This wasn't just my baby, it was Daryl's too. How would he react to all of this? Would he be thrilled? What if I wasn't pregnant and he really wanted a kid? No, I already knew he didn't. I just hoped the test would come back negative.

We soon left after that.

Our whole van was loaded with food and other supplies. It was getting a bit cramped in there. I was on the couch, my back against Daryl's chest. I leaned into him, breathing in his scent. I unconsciously placed a hand on my stomach, resting it there. Daryl's arm was swung over my shoulder and my other hand was placed behind his back, half hugging him.

I had my eyes closed, suddenly feeling very tired after this whole day. The pregnancy test in my back pocket felt like a knife digging into my skin, but for now, it was easy to ignore. I was just going to enjoy this moment. This moment right here.

Maggie was sleeping against Glenn when he suddenly pulled something out of the pocket of his blouse. It was a small picture and he handed it over to Michonne who was sitting next to him. She smiled at the sight of it, looking back at Maggie and Glenn, before handing it over to Daryl.

I repositioned myself slightly, so I could take a better look at it. It was a printed picture of the echo Maggie and Glenn had taken of their baby. Daryl looked at it for a few seconds, his face focused on the piece of paper, before handing it over to me. I caressed the outer linings of the photo, amazed at the tiny human being that had been photographed.

Happy tears filled my eyes as I looked at their baby, my eyes snapped back to Glenn and Maggie, smiling at them and handing the paper over to Abraham.

I made myself comfortable again, leaning against Daryl, and closed my eyes for the rest of the journey.

''Are you sure you don't want to come with?'' Daryl asked me, eyeing me up and down curiously.

We had just had dinner with the everyone in our house and Rick had told us he wanted to make the plans for tomorrow when we were going to Negan's compound to kill him. I said I didn't want to go. I was too tired to come up with a plan, or even think alongside them. I was of no use whatsoever, so I would stay home.

Of course, I had other reasons to stay home, but I thought it best that no one would know yet. I didn't want to start a fuss, I thought it would be smarter to have a real answer. If the test would come back negative, no one had to know about it.

''I'm absolutely sure, come on, you don't want to be late,'' I told him, smiling. I leaned forward and gave him a slow peck on his lips. They were getting less dry and softer as time went on, and even though I didn't mind kissing Daryl with dry lips, it was definitely an improvement.

He gave me a slight smile, dipping down to kiss me one last time before actually leaving.

I was actually home alone right now. Except for Judith, she was the only one here. Even Carl had come along, but he wasn't allowed to go tomorrow so I guess Rick wanted to make up for it by letting him stay at the meeting.

I checked up on Judith, but she was already sound asleep. Seeing as this would be my only moment alone, I went upstairs and grabbed the pregnancy test from the only place I knew Daryl would never look. The feminine hygiene department.

The test made my heart pound faster and I wasn't sure why. For a second I remembered how much my mother always wanted me to have kids and how disappointed she was when I turned 28, with still no kids or even a man. Teresa would have loved a little cousin.

I went into the bathroom, sat down on the toilet and carefully peed on the pregnancy test. I was sweating and it was hard to keep holding the test while my hands were trembling. When I was done I set the pregnancy test aside and started pacing around the room, waiting for it to be finished.

My thoughts were racing through my mind and the fear of someone coming back in the house terrified me. The thought of Daryl walking in and realizing I was taking a pregnancy test, made my heart pound faster and my whole body shake even more.

This wasn't supposed to be this nerve-racking, was it? But in this new world, everything like this was a life or death choice. I thought of Lori, there was so much doubt that she would die during her pregnancy. She actually made it, with a cesarean.

Bringing a baby into this world was insane. Even when we have a community. No place is safe, not forever. The walker herd that was able to get in Alexandria proved that for me. Judith could have died there. What if we were being forced the leave again, how could I ever take care of another child while also having to take care of myself.

But Maggie was bringing a baby into this world and we were all rooting for her. We all knew she could do it. With Glenn by her side, they would be the best parents in the world. Rick also did it. He has two kids, who are still alive and he mostly did it on his own.

Daryl doesn't want kids. What if he decides he doesn't want mine? Would he just abandon me with a child? I could definitely not raise a kid on my own. I could barely take care of myself.

My mom would have wanted me to have a baby, Teresa would have. I don't really think my dad would have cared, but he'd have loved the child like it was his own. What about Olivia? She never really spoke to me about these kinds of things. I knew she doesn't like children, but what if they were her own? Maybe I should have discussed this with her, let her know about this situation.

When I looked at the clock I realized a few minutes had already passed. I could go look now. The door to the bathroom was wide open, but for some reason, I didn't want to go in there.

The truth had never been scarier than before. I'd take a hundred walkers over this moment. This was supposed to be a happy moment for a woman, wasn't it? Getting to know if they're pregnant or not? It's actually really sad that this new world has taken that away too.

I forced myself to take the steps. One step. Two steps. After three steps I was in the bathroom and I slowly closed the door behind me, locking it, in case anyone would come home.

The test on the sink was just staring me down. So I reached for it and grabbed it. The thought of throwing it in the trash and never knowing the answer was really compelling, but like Maggie had said.

'You can't run away from this.'

I turned the test around and lowered myself down on the toilet seat when I saw the result. A million different emotions raced through my body.

I was happy, angry, sad, relieved, confused and most of all scared.

Scared of the two lines on that pregnancy test.

* * *

I'M SORRY THIS IS SUCH A SHORT CHAPTER BUT I WAS SO DONE WITH THIS EPISODE


	22. Chapter 22

So.. It's been a while since I uploaded.

It's been a very weird year for me. I'm almost finished with my exams, I'm moving to England in a few weeks and things just didn't really go the way I wanted it to go.

And that's okay.

I just hope that you guys aren't angry with my unconsistent uploads. I hope that when I'm actually in England, things will get better and I'll start writing more.

Also, I don't think this story is going to continue a lot longer.. I think I'm stopping after Negan is defeated, it feels like a nice ending. With the first story I felt like I had this idea and I knew where I wanted to take the story and I love writing this story, but it doesn't really have a plot anymore.

Sorry for my ramble, I hope you have a nice day.

Love,  
Me


	23. Chapter 23

The church was cold compared to the warmth of home. The silence that had stretched throughout the room hadn't helped either.

We were all waiting for Rick to speak. He was standing on the small stage in front of the church, taking his time. Maybe he was making sure everyone was here.

I was sitting next to Daryl, his arm was flung across the back of the bench, his hand touching my left shoulder. His thumb was rubbing against my jacket, attempting to lessen my nerves.

I hadn't told him yet. Maggie knew because she wouldn't let go until I told her. She wasn't happy that Daryl didn't know yet, but I told her I'd take care of it. I would tell him, definitely. After all of this. That's when he'd know. I just wanted him focused on the mission, no distractions. Plus, he wouldn't have wanted me to come, if he'd known.

My hand shot out to grab his, giving it a quick squeeze. Most of my thought and feelings were confused, but I was also extremely excited. The moment I knew I was pregnant, changed my whole perspective. This baby was mine. No one was going to tell me what I should or shouldn't do. Daryl and I were going to raise this baby, and if he chose not to, than there was nothing I could do about it. I turned my head to look at the man in question. His expression was one of calmness. For some reason, I believed he also wanted this baby.

I almost told him right there and then. My mouth opened, a smile spread across my face, and my heart jumped. Fortunately, Rick started speaking, seeing as this wouldn't have been the right moment.

He started to explain the events that had happened at the Hilltop and at the end, he added.

''This needs to be a group decision. If anyone objects, here's your chance to say your piece.'' He took a step back, as if to give someone the space to speak up.

There were a few long seconds where nobody said anything. We were all watching each other, seeing if somebody actually wanted to resist our idea.

Rustling could be heard from behind me, and Daryl and I turned around at the same time to see none other than Morgan standing up.

''You're sure we can do it?'' He asked Rick, all the while glancing at a few of us.

''With all this group has learned, what we've become. Yes, we can beat them.''

''Then all we have to do is tell them that. Give them a choice. A way out for them and for us.'' Rick pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, looking back at Morgan. The annoyance was clear in his expression. I agreed with Rick, these men didn't seem like the type that would back out of a fight.

''Then we'd give up our advantage.'' Rick shook his head stubbornly, ''No, we have to come for them before they come for us. We can't leave them alive.''

I could feel the tension rising in the room. I personally was on Rick's side, since they tried to kill Daryl weeks ago. We needed to clear the threat and prevent another attack. I think most people were on Rick's side, depending on how long people had been out there.

''Where there's life, there's possibility,'' Morgan spoke calmly, but I could hear the despair in his voice. He didn't want to kill. He didn't want anyone to.

''Yeah, the possibility of being killed.'' A familiar voice suddenly spoke up. My eyes snapped over to the person who had intervened, she was slowly stood up with her eyes glaring at Morgan.

''We can't leave them alive. They have already tried to kill three of us, they-'' She stopped talking, her eyes averting everyone for a second before looking back at Rick. ''I have a feeling that they're dangerous.''

When I saw Rick, I noticed his eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. I had to admit I felt the same thing. I had no idea where that came from. I knew she was very 'passionate' about her opinions and when she set her mind to something she was hard to change it. I wondered where this opinion originated from.

Then her gaze met mine and something flashed through my mind so quickly that I didn't have time to hold onto it. The little dots in my brain were flying around attempting to connect them, but it seemed like there weren't any connections. My face turned back to Daryl to see what he thought of it. His head was tilted slightly as he looked at Olivia, as if he was trying to figure out the same thing as me.

''Yeah, we'll stop them.'' Rick told her. Then he glanced over at Morgan again and remembered the discussion they had before. ''Morgan wants to talk to them first. I think that would be a mistake, but it's not up to me.'' He admitted.

''Who else wants to approach the Saviors first?''

Absolutely silence stretched across the room. No one dared to move, afraid to draw the attention to them. Some people awkwardly shuffled in their seats, making a creaking noise as the old wood suffered under the weight.

''It's settled then. We know exactly what this is. We don't shy from it, we live.'' He stared at all of us, resting them on Morgan who was brooding in the back. Annoyed at his lost battle. I also noticed him keeping his eyes on Olivia, who refused to look at anyone.

''We kill them all.''

The rest of the day was spent preparing. I packed two guns, my machete, and a knife in my boot, in case something went wrong.

As I put on a new shirt I couldn't help but cup my nonexisting belly with my hand, imagining what it would be like to have a baby in there. I turned to look at the room I was in. Like a vision, I saw a baby bedstead pressed against the wall, toys scattered on the floor, creating a mess. It was almost as if I could hear the cooing of a child.

The happy sounds of laughter as I realized that this was what I wanted. A little human being created out of almost nothing. My baby. Our baby.

My throat clogged up with emotion, thinking about what could be.

That's when Daryl walked in, with Judith in his arms. She was fast asleep for her nap and I let out a smile at the sight of them. My legs carried me towards the man and my lips pressed against his in a soft and quick kiss.

''You okay?'' He asked me, placing the sleeping Judith on our double bed. His hands slid over to my waist, gently taking hold of me. My smile grew wider for a second at his actions.

''Definitely,'' Then my face fell, thinking about tonight. ''Just nervous I guess.'' I told him, directing us towards a topic.

''You wanna stay back?'' His thumbs rubbed my t-shirt, but it was as if he was touching my bare skin. I could feel myself getting flustered as I attempted to calm down my racing heart. It was almost annoying that he could still make me feel so vulnerable with just a simple touch.

When he mentioned staying back, I realized that it was actually an option. I could tell him about the baby and stay here, where it was safe for me and the child. But I wasn't going to let this fight be taken on without me. I was part of this, I needed to help. Even if it was with only the smallest thing.

We had everything planned out. This was going to work, and if it wasn't then we'd realize it soon enough before anyone could get injured. I hoped. We were the ones who lived, we have gotten through so much. What even was this little thing in the big scheme of everything.

''No, I need to do this too.'' I told him. He easily accepted my answer. I had never been someone to back out of a fight. He knew that. He was the same way. I wasn't going to try and convince him to stay, so he knew he shouldn't do the same.

His head dipped down to give me a long kiss. My mouth opened slightly and I gasped at his touch. He grinned at my reaction and when he pressed his lips against mine for another second before pulling back, I smacked him in the arm. Rude, to be so teasing.

''I'm gonna go talk to Noah before we leave. I know he wanted to come with too.'' I explained to Daryl.

''Yeah, I already talked to the kid. He gets it, just wishes he could do more.'' He pulls away from me to grab Judith, who was twisting in her sleep. '''Think you should still go there.'' He mumbled giving my hand a quick squeeze before leaving to put the little girl in her crib.

I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling slightly guilty at the fact I was the one who had taken his leg off. But I also knew that I did what I needed to do, anyone would have done the same in that situation. So I let myself feel those feelings for a few seconds, before pushing them away and continuing with more important things.

Noah was outside on the porch, watching all of us gather the weapons. When I opened the front door to step outside, he turned his head, smiling at me as he saw me.

''Nervous?'' I asked him as I plopped down beside him, in a white chair.

''You're the one going out there, I should ask you that question.'' He said, gesturing to me. I glanced at the people, one of them being Rick, who had started loading everything in the RV.

''We both know that sometimes not coming along can be worse.'' I spoke softly. The worrying was horrible, and things could still go wrong here. You'd think you were safe, but that could change any second.

Noah nodded at my words, his expression thoughtful as he pondered over my words. ''I guess you're right.'' His eyes dropped down to look at what was left of his leg. We had been looking for a replacement, but so far nothing. Unless he wanted to look like a pirate of course, then we could arrange something.

''I'm sorry you can't come with.'' I told him honestly. My hand was placed on his arm in a comforting gesture. As soon as the words left my mouth he shook his head. ''Nah, it makes sense. I would only slow you down.'' Our eyes snapped back to his leg. Which was rested on a stool.

I sighed at his words. I wanted to say more to him, talk to him about it. But talking about stuff wasn't a quality of mine, plus we were going to have to go soon. Everyone's was already getting in their car, making sure everything was ready.

I wrapped an arm around Noah, giving him a side hug.

''We'll be fine, I'm glad you're staying here.'' I told him honestly.

He shrugged and gave me a look. It made me smile, and I stomped him on the shoulder before heading off to join Glenn and Maggie. Since Maggie was the only one who knew, I felt most comfortable around her at the moment. At first, she wasn't even supposed to go with, but she insisted. So Glenn and her compromised with each other. She'd come with, but stay on the sidelines, where the least danger was.

I slid in the backseat, next to Heath. Daryl was riding with Rick and Michonne in the RV, complaining about the lack of space in the other vehicles. I didn't complain, I knew Daryl would feel cramped up when he was with more than 2 people in a car.

''You ready?'' Heath asked me, his leg bouncing up and down. He pushed his glasses a bit up, since they had slid down.

''As ready as I'll ever be.'' I told him.

Which was a lie.

* * *

 **I know this was the most boring chapter ever. I had a huge writer's block and I wanted the fight to be its own chapter.**


	24. Chapter 24

***Hides into the corner, ready for my readers to hate me.* ''E-Enjoy..''**

* * *

''Everything seems clear.'' Rick told us as he held his machine gun a bit more loosely than in the beginning.

''Let's get started then.'' Rosita remarked before stalking off.

We had arrived an hour ago, scouting the perimeter of the saviours compound. Walkers had been taken down in hopes the find one that looked like Gregory. The saviours wanted Gregory's head in exchange for a community member of the Hilltop. So instead of actually killing Gregory, Rick came up with the idea to fake it.

While he, Jesus and another guy from the Hilltop were off to check possible heads, Daryl, Maggie, Glenn, Michonne and I were discussing the plan.

''-After they come out with Craig, Daryl will have taken care of them and the entrance will be free.'' Michonne explained, pointing at the sketch they had made of the territory. ''We'll each take a room, with one or two partners-''

''Actually about that,'' I interrupted Michonne, ''I'm gonna stay with Maggie. I don't like her guarding the perimeter alone.'' Glenn immediately agreed, of course. Daryl seemed fine with it too, suspicious, but fine. Only Michonne narrowed her eyes at me, trying to read my face.

''We can have someone else-''

''Nah, I want to.'' I tried sounding nonchalant, but I knew it wasn't working. Michonne knew something was up, and she wasn't going to let it slide. But for now she didn't fight it and continued with her plan. Leaving my heart beating a little too fast in my chest.

I eyes Maggie, wanting to see her reaction. She gave me a small but firm nod, almost invisible. Relief flooded through me as I realised that she knew why I was doing this.

''If everything goes according to plan, everyone will be dead within 20 minutes. We can raid their armory and other supplies after.''

''What if things don't go according to plan?'' Glenn asked, ''Do we have a plan B?''

''Take 'em out the hard way.'' Daryl answered, ''Ain't nothing gonna go wrong.'' He reassured me as he saw my concerned face. A part of me itched to come with, just so I could help if things indeed went wrong. Maybe I could try to control the situation. But my belly problem would come first. I couldn't put it at risk, who knew what could happen.

''Let's get ready.'' Daryl told all of us.

I pushed myself of the car, as everyone scattered, rearranging their supplies and only taking what was necessary. I followed Daryl as he opened his bike and placed an extra handgun in his waistband.

''Look Daryl-'' I started, trying to come up with an excuse to explain why I was staying.

''Aubrey,'' He started, dropping his hands by his side and taking a step towards me, ''I got no idea why you acting like this. But it's keeping ya outta danger.'' His eyes bore into mine with an intensity that made me look away. I felt guilty for not telling him. Should I tell him?

''Just tell me it ain't bad.'' My gaze traveled from the ground towards his eyes. My heart beating inside my chest and I could feel my mouth go dry.

''Daryl, I'm pregnant.''

A huge wave of relief came over me after I said it. It was like a weight had come off my shoulders. Except now, I had thrown that weight on Daryl's shoulders.

He hadn't uttered a word. His eyes stared into mine, but he wasn't present. His arms still hang limply by his side and his mouth opened a centimeter. I swear to god he had turned pale. All of a sudden the relief was replaced with fear. I could feel it spreading from my stomach to the rest of my body and I involuntarily started to tremble.

Pushing my hands behind me, in an attempt to hide it, I took a slight step forward. ''Daryl?'' I asked him. The crunching of the ground under my boot was probably the loudest thing right now, as I waited for an answer. Or any response for that matter. Every second that striked past, made my legs weaker and my body heavier. I could just sink through the ground, I hoped the floor would swallow me up.

I shouldn't have said anything. I ruined it all.

''Daryl,'' I spoke again, taking another step forward and reaching out my hand to touch his arm. A moment before my hand was supposed to touch his arm, he pulled it away, taking a step back from me. That movement hurt me more than his silence.

''I'm sorry Aubrey, I just - can't.'' He stepped away from the bike, walking into the woods to clear his mind. I felt humiliated, scared and alone as I watched him walk away from me. And from the baby. It was as if everyone was staring at me, but when I looked around, I saw no one.

This wasn't unexpected. Daryl had always needed time to process big changes in his life. I tried to be optimistic about it. That maybe he was just thinking it through, he just needed some time and then everything would be fine again. But I couldn't help the feeling of total despair. What if he didn't want the baby, what if I had to raise it on my own? Would I choose my baby over Daryl? I couldn't live without him, I knew that. But would I be willing to let go of the life in my belly?

My thoughts were twirling around in my brain and suddenly I felt sick. My throat was burning with unshed tears and my stomach was protesting against the situation. I stumbled off behind the cars and closer to the ditch. The contents of my stomach fell onto the ground as I tried to get it together again.

I felt a hand on my back, a thumb slowly rubbing against the fabric in a way to calm me down. At first, I thought it was Maggie while hoping it was Daryl, but when I looked up I saw Glenn. His eyes watched my hunched over figure with a slight hint of pity. I spit on the ground to get rid of the disgusting taste in my mouth. I felt tired, mentally exhausted. My throat felt raw, like a fire was burning.

I pushed myself up, with my hands. I turned to Glenn, but was too ashamed to actually look at his face. My gaze was unfocused on the road behind him. My arms folded together in an attempt to shield myself.

A water bottle was handed to me and I gladly took it. My hand shaking as I tried to get a good grip on the plastic object. I felt the water touch my lips and instant relief washed over me. The taste of vomit leaving my mouth. However, instead of swallowing it, I spit the water out on the ground.

''I'm sorry,'' Glenn apologised for me. I didn't look up as I handed him back the water. ''It's not your fault.''

Both of us knew what the other was talking about. I already figured Glenn knew, because he was so close to Maggie who was going through a similar situation. Immediately, my arms went back to covering my chest. The air suddenly felt colder now that Daryl wasn't here.

I breathed in through my nose and relaxed my lips to let the air release again.

''I'll be fine.'' I told him. My heart was still racing, but I was already throwing away my emotions. I could almost see myself stowing them away in boxes, trying to shut the lid so I could lock them up and throw away the key.

''Just-'' He started, his eyes examining my face with a concerned look, ''Talk to us when somethings wrong. Okay?'' I nodded at his words, not really sure if I was actually going to listen to it. He placed his hand on my shoulder, so he could pull me into a hug.

I adored Glenn's hugs. He hugged like you wanted a friend to hug you. His arms wrapped around me and he wasn't afraid to get too close. I rested my chin on his shoulder, closing my eyes for a second. I gave myself one second. Just one, to feel sorry for my situation. When Glenn pulled back, I got myself together again.

You couldn't be weak right now. Not in this world. There was a job we had to do. A mission we had to focus on.

So that's what I would do.

It had been a good hour before Daryl had reappeared. He had avoided any eye contact I'd tried to make. But I didn't want to push him. I wasn't going to talk to him, unless he actually wanted me to. And right now, I was pretty sure he didn't.

Rick gathered everyone together who was joining him. Which was everyone except Maggie and I. We stood together by the car, a few meters away from the group. My arms had been crossed in front of my chest, a casual stance.

Maggie was holding a rifle in her arms. Her posture was relaxed, but stern. Her eyes seemed to be focused on Rick who was going through the motion again. My gaze was locked on Daryl. Whose shoulders were tense, definitely aware that I was watching him. But I didn't waver. If he decided to turn around, I wasn't going to shy away from him.

The sadness seemed to have been partially replaced by anger. No, not anger. Annoyance, frustrating. Maybe a bit oself-pityty. I was just annoyed that life had to be like this. Why did Daryl have to be like this? But I wasn't angry at Daryl. Just angry at how this had to be.

I glanced over at Maggie, accidentally getting her attention.

''How are you doing?'' I asked her, to break the silence.

''I'm alright,'' She offered me a smile, which didn't fully seemed to reach her eyes. My guess was, that she was stressed. Nervous, like all of us were. I remembered my own words I had spoken to Noah earlier that day.

' _sometimes not coming along can be worse._ ' I still stood by that statement. When you were there, witnessing the action, you could do something. You could help if things went south. If you were clear from everything, with no way of knowing what was going on. It was emotionally worse. Your own thoughts could break you down, make you imagine the worst things.

''I hope everything goes right.'' I told her honestly.

''Me too.''

And that was it. There was nothing left to be said anymore. We were just waiting until Rick was finished. After 15 minutes, the group started to scatter. Everyone was grabbing their stuff. I saw Rick put a severed head into a sack. I grimaced at the sight of it, feeling my nausea return.

That's when my eyes flickered over to Daryl. As soon as mine locked with his, he turned his head away from me. There was a slight pang in my heart at the sight of his rejection. But I shook my head and tried to let it slide. This was just Daryl. He'd come by. I wasn't just a swing for him, he knew too that this was something we needed to talk about eventually, right?

He grabbed his machine gun and pistol and tucked the latter one in his waistband. For some reason, that move made my stomach do somersaults and I could feel a blush creep up my cheeks. Goddamn hormones.

I turned around, walking over to the other side of the car and grabbed a handgun out of it. My eyes were glued to the weapon as I broke it down. As I distracted myself I didn't notice Maggie eyeing me and eventually walking over to where I was standing.

''What are you doing?'' My heart jumped out of my chest and I let out a little shriek while dropping the gun on the seat of the car.

''I-I'm'' I stammered, ignoring the eyes that had turned my way when I made a sound. Maggie offered me a grin, letting me know it was okay.

''I had it too, you know?'' She stated, leaning against the car again and gazing off into the distance. Her brain reliving a memory. ''The hormones start to kick in pretty soon, Glenn didn't know what was happening-''

''-Okay! I think that's enough.'' I told her, pushing myself of the car and ignoring the way my cheeks burned. With embarrassment this time.

As I walked off I could hear her giggles behind me, making the blush on my cheeks rise even more. I glanced over my shoulder, to look at Maggie. She had her back turned to me already and I could see Glenn making his way over to her. Probably to say goodbye.

As I turned my head back, I could feel my body bump into another one. I stumbled a few steps back, a bit dazed at the sudden collision. My hand shot out to steady myself. I placed it on the person's chest in front of me, feeling the familiar body under my hand, my eyes immediately snapped up.

In front of me, was Daryl, there was a slight tint of red on his cheeks as he took me in. My brain turned into mush as I stared at the man in front of me. The teenage girl seemed to be activated as I tried to come up with words to say.

''Dary, I-''

He softly grabbed the back of my head and gently pulled it towards him, placing a kiss on top of my dirty hair. My heart fluttered in my chest and any embarrassment that I had lost a few seconds ago, came rushing back in.

''We'll talk about everything when I get back.'' Was all he said before he engulfed me in a hug. His arms wrapped around me, along the back of my neck. I was pushed into his body, something that I didn't mind at all. My own arms were clutched to my chest as I placed my head against his own. With my ear against his shirt, I could hear his heartbeat. It seemed to pace as fast as mine did, making me feel a little bit more confident.

Daryl never was a man of many words, but he barely needed to be. This one sentence was enough for me. The gentle kiss on my head and the strong hug indicated everything I needed to know. A sigh escaped my lips as he let go of me, taking a step back. He seemed to be taking me in one last time before walking away, leaving me flustered and confused.

It had been an hour after everyone left. The sky had turned dark and stars could be seen from above.

Maggie and I were sitting on the hood of the car, our guns in our laps. We had just done a quick round, checking to see if no one was near. We decided it might be safer to stay together than to wander off on our own. It'd be less easy to get captured that way. Though, none of us really expected something to happen.

I was slightly regretting my decision not to come with. I wanted to help them, they needed our help. But I wasn't going to risk Maggie's or her baby's life. Or my baby's. It was hard to forget I was pregnant, I didn't feel like it. Except for this proudness. I made this, Daryl and l did. And we had to protect it.

That's when blaring alarms started to go off in the distance. Where their outpost was. Both of our heads snapped up towards the sound. We exchanged a look with each other before jumping off the car.

Maggie was already sprinting towards the radio station, me following close behind, before stopping her.

''Wait, wait-'' I told her. ''We need to think about this.''

''There's no time they need our help.'' She said, turning her body towards me.

''But, what if we get hurt.'' I placed a hand on my belly to let her know what I actually meant. Her eyes flickered over to my belly before she looked down to her own. A small silence stretched between us, the few seconds feeling like minutes.

''We don't know that.'' She said, slightly unsure. ''But we do know that they need our help.'' I wanted to object, but I also knew that there was no way I could sit here and wait. I would drive myself insane. The least we could do is check it out, see how everyone's doing.

''Let's go.'' I told her.

Just as she wanted to turn around, a rustling could be heard in the bushes behind her. On instinct, I pulled my gun out, aiming it towards the sound, the same time a figure appeared. There was a split second where I thought he was one of us, but the face was unfamiliar and the hostile posture he had suggested otherwise. Like me, he had his gun raised. But before I could give him a chance to pull the trigger, I had pulled mine.

A shot rang out, my bullet hitting him in the arm. I had done it on purpose. We could find out if there were more around here. If they escaped the station, or if they came from somewhere else.

I rushed over to the figure who had fallen to the ground, from the impact of my gun. I placed my foot on top of the wound, causing him to groan out in pain.

''Are there more of you?'' I asked him, kneeling down so I could look him in the eyes. ''Where did you come from?'' His right hand tried to grasp the wound, but my foot was blocking the way. So instead he opted on grasping the ground under him in frustration.

''Tell me!"' I yelled at him, pointing my gun towards his face. At the same time, another weapon was cocked behind me, multiple actually. I could feel a barrel being pressed against my temple, making me freeze up.

''One move and your friend is dead.'' A female spoke up. I knew she was talking about Maggie, so I instantly raised my hands in a form of coöperation. I slowly released my foot from the man's wound, earning a sigh mixed with a whine from him.

''Bitch.'' The guy spat at me, making me glare in his direction.

''I like her shoes.'' Another female said, I wasn't sure if she was talking to me or to Maggie, but I was too tense to stare down at my shoes right now.

Were these people just passing by? Planning on raiding us? Or were they part of Negan? My mind didn't have time to process all these questions. I had other things to worry about right now. Like staying alive.

''Turn around.'' The person standing next to me with a gun against my head ordered me. I slowly stood up straight and turned around, careful not to make any sudden movements.

Before I could comprehend it, my hands were tied behind my back. I tried not to groan as they forced my arms into an uncomfortable position. I saw that they did the same with Maggie, she was staring straight ahead. Fury in her eyes, just like me.

''Now,'' A redhead spoke, ''Let's figure out what to do with you.''


	25. Chapter 25

Bags had been thrown over our heads as we were escorted away from the area. I was constantly tripping over roots and other material that had been scattered on the ground, but the Saviors didn't care. An occasional push, mostly from the guy I had shot, wasn't unusual.

The heat inside the bag wasn't making the journey any more comfortable. I was sweating, slightly short on breath as we finally arrived at our destination.

The bags were hastily pulled over our heads. My eyes squinted by the sudden change of brightness. The sun had slowly started to rise over the course of our events and now it was pretty early in the morning.

I glanced over to my right to see Maggie standing beside me. Her eyes were fierce as she hid any emotion on her face. She was like stone, if I hadn't known that girl, I would have been scared of her. Our hands had been tied on our back, preventing us from moving or trying anything at all.

My heart was pounding inside my chest. It was stupid to think we were safe back there. You weren't safe, even when you thought you were. I gritted my teeth against each other in annoyance. This was all my fault, I should have checked the perimeter more, we should have been more ready for this. We could have asked someone else to stay behind, or we should have just come with.

Who knew what had happened there? We didn't leave a walkie talkie, there was no way to communicate with each other. Behind my back, I was fiddling with my fingers, a way to relieve stress.

There were four people besides Maggie and I. We had the redhead, who seemed to be the leader of the squad. The man who I'd shot, he also looked like the love interest of the redhead. He kept calling her 'babe' and 'baby'. Then there was an older woman, she was a bit fuller than the rest of us. Her voice was raspy and hoarse, as if she had smoked one cigarette too much. The last one seemed to be more of our age. She was a dark haired woman with a fierce attitude. She had a harsh mouth which didn't seem to have a filter.

The one I'd shot didn't seem to be doing so well. He was clutching his arm, while the bigger woman was trying to cut off the circulation. His constant death glares in my directions weren't missed either. He made no attempts to hide his feelings, especially the ones about how much he wanted me dead.

I exchanged a glance with Maggie, both of us didn't have anything to say really. But it was just nice to know that we were here for each other. I was positioned very close to a tree. My hands grazed the tree in an attempt to find something sharp, but so far I had no luck. I tried rubbing the rope on my wrist against the bark, but it didn't seem to be doing much. Plus, I felt like it was really obvious that I was attempting an escape.

My heart jumped when gunshots could be heard in the distance, but I didn't move a muscle. Scared off showing any emotion, except annoyance.

''What the hell was that?'' The younger woman said, her gun was still out, but it wasn't aimed at us anymore. Instead, it was clutched in her hand, pointed to the ground.

''Ah shit, it's Primo.'' The redhead said, looking through her binoculars. ''They got him.'' She told us. I had no idea who 'they' meant, but I had a pretty good idea.

''Here give me the walkie,'' She motioned to the man,

''What's going on babe?'' She ignored him as she pulled the walkie closer to her mouth and pressed the button, so she could speak.

''Lower the gun you prick.'' I almost rolled my eyes at her statement, typically a wanna-be-badass. ''You, with the Colt Python.''

Maggie and I exchanged glances again. We both knew only one person with a colt python.

''Come out, let's talk.'' I could hear Rick's voice through the radio.

It was incredibly frustrating, knowing that they were out there, but they had no idea we were here. The urge to scream or yell was very high, but I knew I wouldn't even hear the end of my scream. I'd be dead on the ground before they could even hear me.

''How many we got?'' The older woman spoke, with a southern accent. She glanced around at us nervously, as if we were to blame for this. In a way, we were.

''Eight, too many to take on.'' She answered, not looking behind her, instead her eyes were focused on the satellite station. She was probably looking at Rick, maybe even at Daryl. ''We won't come out but we will talk.'' She turned to us with fiery eyes, clearly annoyed at the situation we were in, but she was keeping a clear head. Or at the very least pretending to keep calm.

''Names.'' She demanded.

When she looked at me I just glared at her, refusing to speak. They weren't getting it out of me, that's for sure. She narrowed her eyes at me as she realized I wasn't going to answer.

''Names!'' She said again, this time looking at Maggie. Maggie was a bit more compliant, probably thinking this through a bit more than I was. I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of talking or answering any questions.

''I'm Maggie, she's Aubrey.''

''I've got a Maggie and an Aubrey here, I'm thinking that's something you want to talk about.'' She released the button with a smug face, thinking she has got it all in her pocket. She had the upper hand now, she had two of us and they only had Primo or whatever his name was. ''Now we're going to work this out right now. And it's going to go our way.''

''You can see we have one of yours, we'll trade.'' Rick spoke.

''I'm listening.''

''First I want to talk to Maggie and Aubrey, make sure they're alright.'' He demanded. In the distance, I could hear a walker growling and making its way towards us, but that was the least of my worries right now.

''I'm gonna put you on, you say you're fine. I'll know if you try anything else.'' She stalked over to us, behind her I could see the walker coming up. Deep down I was hoping she'd get bitten and die. It would certainly help us, but the older woman grabbed her knife and stabbed the thing through its head, definitively ending its existence.

''It's Maggie, we're both okay. We'll figure this out.'' Maggie spoke, but was cut off by the woman, ''Shut up.'' She said. A wave of fury hit me and I pressed my lips together as she put the radio in my face, pressing the button.

I glared at her as she waited for me to speak. She released the button and pointed her gun my direction with a sigh. ''Say you're fine, or I swear to god this bullet is going through your head and then through hers.'' She said, aiming it at Maggie after talking to me. The radio was thrown in my face again and through gritted teeth I said.

''I'm fine.'' Still staring her down.

''You have your proof let's talk.'' She said in the walkie again.

''This is the deal right here. Let them go, you can have your guy back and live.''

''Two for one, that's not much of a trade.'' She told him. She was trying to tick him off, see what else would happen. All of us knew there was no other choice, there wasn't anything else they could give them.

''You don't have another choice.'' Came Rick's voice again, ''Or you would have done something about it already.'' It was pretty risky for Rick to say that. They could still make it an even trade.

''We have to get him back.'' The man said, clutching his arm and panting slightly.

''Primo can take care of himself.'' The redhead objected.

''He can patch me up.'' The man interrupted the woman's thoughts. ''I need him thanks to that bitch.'' His eyes snapped over to me and I felt something twitch in my eyes. ''You've lost your balls, Paula. You should have shot her in the head so they could watch her die-''

''Fuck you.''' I told him, fairly calm. I wasn't going to let this man insult me.

''What did you say to me?'' He gritted his teeth, and from the look of his face I should have known his next move. But I guess I was too caught up in my own anger.

''Are you deaf? I said 'Fuck. You'''

The man's face scrunched up in anger and before I knew it he had pulled his gun out of his waistband with his good arm. Within seconds it was aimed at my face. The woman, who we now know as Paula, noticed this. I flinched away from the gun at the same time Paula directed the weapon towards a clearing in the woods.

A shot went off and I could feel the bullet flying past me. My heart was beating inside my chest as I realized what I had just done. My first thought was about the baby, how I could have been so reckless. I am such an idiot. I just wanted to go back home, I didn't want this shit.

''Are you out of your mind!'' Paula yelled at the man. ''Now they know where we are.'' There were a few seconds of silence as she furrowed her brow, looking intently at the ground below. ''We need to move,'' She said already coming up with a plan inside her head.

''What's going on?'' Rick spoke, through the walkie, concern and anger could be heard in his voice.

''Everyone's fine. We just had a biter to take care of.''

''They're never gonna believe that. You need to get your balls back-''

''Shut up, I'll solve this.'' She yelled at him.

''You should be glad she doesn't have a sack of gonads to trip over.'' The older man shut him up.

''Do we have a deal?'' Rick asked, sounding unsure.

Paula glanced over at the other woman, who gave her a nod. She ignored the stares of the man, not caring any less about his opinion. She turned back to the walkie, a smug smile on her face.

''We'll get back to you.''

''Get in.'' The older woman said while pushing me against my back. The shove made me stumble forwards, losing my balance for a second. If there hadn't been something placed over my head, I would have glared at her. But since that wasn't a possibility, I just opted for greeting my teeth while staring straight ahead into the darkness of the cloth.

''I hate this damn place.'' The same woman spoke, this time not regarding me or Maggie, but her companions. ''Safehouse,'' She scoffed, ''Ain't nothing safe about it.''

''This place is gonna save our asses,'' Paula commented. I heard the familiar groaning of a walker and my skin crawled, knowing there was nothing I could do to protect myself. I couldn't even see.

A door opened and the growling became louder, making me hesitant to take another step forward. But the gun in my back forced me to.

The loss of control made my heart pound against my chest. My breathing had become heavier, despite my attempts to calm it down. The baby in my belly never felt more present than this moment, now that it was in danger. My thoughts were centered around keeping my child alive. I felt ashamed to say that even Maggie's baby seemed less important to me right now.

I shook my head, as if it would help clear my thoughts, and took a deep breath in through my nose and out through my mouth. I wasn't going to think like that. My life wasn't more important than Maggie's. We were going to get out of this alive. All four of us.

The groaning stopped, the reason being a sickening crunch through the head. My bag was being pulled over my head and I saw a walker being held up by the knife going through its head. The knife that stuck out of the walker's eye was only inches away from Maggie's face. The sight made my heart skip a beat and I gasped a little bit.

Maggie's face was one of fury and concern. Her eyes went from the knife to the woman still holding it. With a grin, the bigger woman pulled the weapon out of the body's head and let it fall to the ground. My eyes glared at the woman, even though she wasn't looking at me. I was pushed further into the room.

Maggie and I were positioned opposite from each other. The gags in our mouths prevented us from speaking, but we were silently communicating with our eyes. At least I think we were. None the less I could confidently say we agreed on one thing. We needed to get out of here.

After Paula had checked our (for the love of god I can't remember the name, the things on their wrist). She made sure there was no way of us breaking free on our own. Molly yelled something from the hallway, about needing help. Paula's head snapped up and she straightened herself.

With her gun cocked she pointed it at us while simultaneously walking to the door that led to the hallway.

''It's taking everything in me not to shoot you right now, so go ahead try something and see what happens.'' She shut the door loudly behind her, and a small part of me flinched.

There was a moment of silence, Maggie and I were sitting across from each other, tied up and unable to defend ourselves. Our eyes flickered towards each other and as soon as we made contact we began to move.

I tried to position myself so that I was on my knees, an attempt to look quicker at my surroundings. Maggie was already trying to cut her rope in the edge of a wall. Except for me there was nothing sharp against the walls. I had to look at the ground. It was mostly just filth, a hair tie and a few drops of blood. But then about a meter away from me, something sparkled against the sun.

It was glass.

I almost dove towards it, making my knees hurt as I tried to be as quick as possible. I flipped myself onto my bottom and grabbed the glass with my hands. I was a bit too eager though, cause within seconds I could feel the glass breaking my skin. I just prayed to god that the Saviors wouldn't notice.

Both Maggie and I looked at each other. Because we heard nothing anymore. We immediately shuffled back towards our initial spot and attempted to not look as nervous as we felt. I was slowly working the glass back and forth, trying not to break my skin any further, but also trying to make enough momentum for it to actually work.

The door opened and I stopped moving my hands. Too scared that they could hear the glass against the duct tape. Michelle came in first, her gun already aimed towards us. Paula appeared after her and then Donnie, who was breathing quite heavily. I almost winced when I looked at his arm. It looked quite painful, and the fact that I was the cause of this pain didn't make me feel particularly safe.

Donnie dropped on the ground, leaning against the wall. His eyes were closed and his face was scrunched up, he, indeed, was in pain. I tried to avoid looking at him. My gaze was fixed in front of me, switching between the wall and Maggie, who was silently observing the situation.

Everyone was silent. The Saviours were panting, looking down at the ground or at us. Maggie and I were too cautious to speak. I wanted someone to speak, too scared they would hear my blood dripping on the floor. It was slowly flowing down via my fingers and I was making it worse due to me clutching the glass. My reason being, that I was too scared I'd let it go.

A few minutes passed without anyone saying anything. Then Molly straightened up and got a cigarette out of her pocket. She lit it quietly. I pressed my lips together, thinking about the baby silently. But I knew that at this point, secondhand smoke wasn't my biggest worry. Instead, I looked at her and said;

''You'll die if you keep smoking these.'' My head gestured to the cigarette in her mouth.

''Oh honey they already have.'' She gave me a fake smile, trying to hide her cough. She pressed her hand against her mouth, coughing as silently as she could.

She showed me her hand, which was covered in blood and mucus. I tried not to show the disgust on my face as I witnessed her gross hand.

''Which puts us exactly in the same boat.''


	26. hello

hello, anyone who is actually still reading this.

So I haven't been uploading as much.. as you know.

Im in the second half of my gap year right now and I'm really working hard on improving myself. I'm getting healthier and fitter every day and I also have a job now, which means I dont have that much time anymore.

Since I'm gonna study Paramedic Sciences next year I don't think that will change.

i was wondering if any of you would like to continue writing this story. You can do with it whatever you want.

I'll obviously give you credit, so don't worry about that.

I have invested a lot of time and love into the characters, so I hope the future writer will do them justice.

if no one wants to continue writing it, thats fine as well. I'll just put it on 'discontinued for now'

All the love,

Me


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